And Here We Go...

Many times, when I am on the brink of a new beginning, I think of Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight, as he is walking toward his epic battle with Batman he says, "and here we go".  That is how I feel today as my students complete their first assessment in my class - the dreaded summer reading.

Much like Jen, I have gotten a lot of questions about whether or not this assessesment is graded, how many points is it worth, will this be on Zangle?  Through continued discussion and soothing words, I've tried to remind the kids about the purpose of standards based assessment, and asked that they trust me to help them through this new process.

To add to the anxiety students are already feeling, I've already experienced some gradebook issues because my kids' grades are showing up as Es, which has many of them concerned.

Regardless of the gradebook issue, and the fears some kids still have over SBA, I think students will be more willing to trust me and the new system once they see how it works.

So, here we go...

What am I doing here?

"What am I doing here?"

I ask myself that question a lot lately. Not because I'm second-guessing my career choice after 24 years, and not because I think there must be a better situation out there for me somewhere else.

It's because my learning, as a result of changing the focus of my classroom, instruction, and assessment processes has led me to be more reflective, more deliberate, more empathetic in my approach to the work I do and the people I work with.

And I see differently what's happening around me. I see two tides rising. One from the outside that has an unshakeable faith in the power of data to reveal the truth about teaching and learning. The business/science of education.

The other tide, the one I'm swimming with, is also rooted in an unshakeable faith. Faith in the humanity of learning, the power of relationships, the empowering nature of learning to learn, and the confidence and optimism that comes from being respected for our individual gifts. The art of learning.

So it's not "What am I doing here?" it's more "What am I doing here?"

And if I had to put one in front of the other I think I'd rather do good than well.

"The apparent ease with which children learn is their ruin. You fail to see that this very facility proves that they are not learning. Their shining, polished brain reflects, as in a mirror, the things you show them, but nothing sinks in. The child remembers the words and the ideas are reflected back; his hearers understand them, but to him they are meaningless."

Excerpt from Emile, Or On Education,  by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1762.

What My Students Are Saying...

As Mike wrote in his most recent blog entry "On the eve of week 2", this first week has highlighted for me how well we (myself included until a year ago) train our students in a traditional assessment model to see the grade and points as the goal of learning despite the fact that few of us went in to teaching with that as our philosophy. I am astounded by the number of times in the last week a student has asked, "So, will this count towards my grade?" But, as Mike did, I have tried to reassure my students that they will be okay... more than okay, I hope.

Two reflections to share, borrowing the words of these budding empowered learners themselves:

1. I had a student write on the bottom of her very first in-class essay, "You won't be able to tell from this test, but I did read the book. I tried my best, so I hope that is okay." My new mantra: your best is ALWAYS good enough!

2. Last year, I did some exit polling at the end of the year to see how students felt about Empowered Learning. The results were fantastic. But I realized that I hadn't asked them how they felt at the beginning, and I think that's really worth asking as well. So, I have. Here are some of my favorite responses from my students today:

• "I'm very excited about learning how to be a better writer."
• "I think your grading system is fair and cool. I like it a lot. I'm nervous about getting good grades."
• "I don't really understand it. Once I understand the grading system more, I will be more comfortable."
• "I think it's very fair. It's not something I'm used to, but I'll get the hang of it."
• "I like how it sounds, getting a grade on the end result. I might kind of dislike not being able to see the grade till the end but that's okay."
• "I'm worried about this grading system because I won't be able to constantly check my grade."
• "I think that it is probably a good system because it isn't averaged and if you keep improving you get a better grade."
• "I think it will be fun but it will be difficult to explain to my parents."

I have told my students two things in these past days: I promise to be fair and honest about your skills every step of the way, even when it is hard, and I know it will take time for you to trust that promise.

"Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others ... Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth." ~Katherine Mansfield, Journal entry, 14 October 1922

On the eve of Week 2...

So I feel like the first week of school went pretty well.

I was expecting there to be a lot more chaos and stress - and I'm sure there was somewhere for someone. So I count myself lucky that some of my apprehensions turned out to be just... some apprehensions.

I focused the first class meetings of the new year on the idea of Empowered Learning to the World History students at 9Camp and the Psych 1 and Intro to Philosophy students at MCamp.

The Freshmen seemed eager to take a run at this way of learning. But it's been my experience that the freshmen are pretty much eager and excited to be high school students. They're ready for just about anything different - and eager and excited to get on with it.

The Juniors and Seniors, on the other hand, were a divided lot.

There were more than a handful of students that seemed intrigued by the idea of grading that takes into account progress. They were curious and interested in an approach to the classroom that emphasizes active learning and some degree of freedom and choice.

But I also got a vibe ("Mr. Barry, are we actually going to learn any psychology this semester) that some upperclassmen were hoping for a more traditional, lecture-focused, daily-homework-for-points, what's-my-grade-right-at-this-very-second kind of experience. They struck me as apprehensive and perhaps a little disappointed by the divergence from their expectations and training.

I think they're going to be OK, and I told them so. I told them I believe that BHHS students are remarkably resilient and resourceful. And once they get the swing of the Humanities Assessment Criteria and how they're applied - and how we use them to encourage risk-taking and growth - that they'd find themselves surprised to find that learning is fun again. And that the content of the course will be stickier than it ever was in any other cram-it-in-for-the-test kind of class.

I believe it. My greatest challenge in the next couple of weeks will be helping them believe it too!

MB

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
Helen Keller 

Observations and Reflections on the First Day:

It's no secret among educators, either 100 years ago, or yesterday, that setting a positive tone with a new group of students from day one can make a huge impact on the path the classroom learning community takes for the rest of the year.  Incorporating the "Empowering Learning"model is not only a wonderful system to ensure that a postive and encouraging tone is set for students on the first day, but, by it's very own nature, reinforces postive fostering of the classroom room learning community by the students themselves for the duration of the course.  In my experience, I have always tried to build a community of trust and safety with the students in the first few weeks of school.  The problem of maintaining the community, however, throughout the duration of the course--especially with the increase in content expectations to cover and the limited time to cover them--has been something I have struggled with for years.  It is a struggle I have lost, not only because my attention is required elsewhere with content and skill-teaching, but I haven't fully allowed my students to take the lead and initiative in maintaining the community that is created.  It is their learning community, after-all--not mine.  A positive, encouraging, and supportive learning community of students at the beginning of the year, without continual reinforcement, often ends with disappointment by both the teacher and the students. Reflecting on my first day working with the "Empowering Learning Model," I have realized that the continual reinforcement of classroom norms, trust, support, and student-led initiative and responsibility for learning as a team--instead of just individually--might provide the answer of maintaining an effective learning community that survives past the first few weeks of school.  I am excited to see how this develops in my classes using this model.   More to follow! 

David Jenvey-- 

Peril vs. Triumph

"When there is no peril in the fight, there is no glory in the triumph" - Pierre Corneille

Firstly, I want to extend a huge thank you and all my gratitude to Jen, Mike, and Dave for allowing me to be part of this journey. I am so lucky to work with such an amazing group of supportive educators.

As these first two days have come and gone - I realized how nervous I was about rolling out standards based assessment to all my students. I was nervous they wouldn't understand the concept, or would run to their counselors asking to be switched to a different English teacher.

While I believe very strongly in standards based assessment, it has proven, at times, to be a rather scary endeavor.  However, I have already had some great feedback from students who are excited to begin this journey with me!

I am looking forward to "the fight" but am even more excited about the triumphs to come.

-MR

D minus 2...

D minus 4 (cont.)

"Here are three things we can say about the fact that we are all here now. One, the subject is World History. Two, I'm your teacher. And three, this is 9Camp - Room 10.

"Only one of these is true...

"Maybe not the first one. I know your schedule says World History. To earn a diploma you have to take World History. There will be world history questions on the MME and ACT.

"But this course is not really about world history. It's about you. It's about how you can learn to learn - confidently and independently. World history is the timber we'll use to learn how to make a ship. The Humanities Assessment Criteria are the tools and hardware that will help you construct the ship. When it's ready the ship will sail with you at the helm. And you'll be able to navigate not only the sea of world history but the entire ocean of the social sciences.

"I'm uncomfortable suggesting that the second proposition - 'I'm your teacher' - is true. I've always felt funny about calling myself a teacher - especially at the beginning of a course. It seems a bit presumptuous to consider oneself a teacher before knowing if anyone has learned anything. So for now I'll be your instructor, coach, cheerleader, devil's advocate, and fussy quality control inspector. If, at the end of the semester, it turns out you've learned something, and you feel like I had something to do with it, then I'll let you decide whether or not I'm a teacher.

"So I guess it must be the third thing that's true. Welcome to 9Camp - Room 10, Black Hawks. I'm Mike Barry and it's going to be an awesome year!"

"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught."Winston Churchill