The Impact of 140 Characters

Twitter has become a way of life for me.  I find myself scrolling through to catch the latest headlines, as well as following inspirational educators.  I've been on Twitter since 2014 and love the connections I have made with others.  Twitter has become the digital platform I use to share the story of the learners in Room 27!  (just search #nrmsproud to see all of the great accomplishments of our Falcons!)  

One of my most favorite parts of Twitter is being able to connect with others around the world!  During a recent Twitter Chat, hosted by @DiscoveryEd, I read about the Power of STEM Day.  I couldn't help but think this would be an incredible experience for our Falcons and what perfect timing as we were about to embark on our first PBL, focusing on STEM careers and higher education.

#DESTEMchat

The more I read, the more excited I became!  Check out Power of Stem Day hosted by Siemens for more information.  A STEM challenge was planned.  Each group's goal was to create the strongest tower that would hold the weight of one marshmallow.  Students were split into groups and given 20 pieces of spaghetti, 3 feet of masking tape, 3 feet of string and 1 marshmallow.

Prior to officially starting the 5:00 minutes, learners were asked to think about how they could contribute to the team, based on the task.  Would it be by managing the supplies?  Leading the creativity? Or encouraging others?  After the 1 minute was up, our 5 minutes began.  As I walked around our room, I noticed how each group took a different approach to achieving the task.  Some collaborated first, while others jumped right into creating!  I love how all learners are respected for their contributions to the group.   The timer was set for 5 minutes and the innovative problem solving began!

The timer rang and everyone stopped.  Again, I asked that each learner reflect on how their group was working and to write it down.  Stress was high as they only "had" 5 minutes to create.  Another 5 minutes was put on the timer and the creativity continued!  Tension was lowered due to not having a time constraint of only 5 minutes.  Many learners mentioned that the time parameters stressed them out.  Again, all real world learning opportunities!

When we achieved our goal of creating the strongest tower, it was time to take our reflecting past the standard Post-It note and to the digital world!  I shared my Twitter feed with all classes, explaining who I choose to follow and why, as well as what I post.  It was a great lesson in creating our digital footsteps.

 

As students began to tweet about our STEM challenge, they became more excited as others across the nation liked and retweeted their pictures!  Opening their eyes to what the world holds is what learning is all about.  I love sharing new learning opportunities with our Falcons and can't wait to see what amazing things they do with the digital resources they've been exposed to this school year!  

How are you using Twitter with your learners?

What is STEM?

Imagine about 75, 8th graders, working in groups of 4-5 students, anxiously awaiting the challenge...the challenge of collaborating with each other and determining a solution to a given problem.  As we continue to embark on our first PBL, today was the day we sparked our learners' interest and gave them a common experience of what "STEM" is in the real world.  It's being able to find a solution to a given problem!

Our first and second period learners, focused on building the longest chain, using only a sheet of paper, glue stick and a pair of scissors.  Throughout the 15 minutes, students worked together and justifying their choices as to why their idea or suggestion was the better route to take.  It was interesting to watch both Algebra and 8th grade math students work together.  Many groups jumped right into creating, while others discussed what they should do first.  By the end of the 15 minutes, we had chains wrapped around our cafeteria, measuring which group had created the longest chain!

As groups began to measure their chains, discussions evolved as to what the definition of a chain is.

We quickly looked up the meaning and decided that we needed to have two winners, 

in this challenge!  

Longest Chain Link 

Longest Chain

Learners in 3rd period focused on building the tallest tower, given a file folder, tape and a pair of scissors.  This group brought a various levels of experience, as my current 3/4 students have had multiple experiences with STEM challenges and having to think "outside of the box."  As I walked up and down the walkway between our cafeteria tables, students were asking questions if they could cut the folder, how tall could the tower be.  Many kids were afraid to "make" changes to the file folder and at first just rolled the folder.  As they looked around, students quickly realized that there were no definite directions.  It's all about creativity!

15 minutes were up and here are the winners! Each group said their success was because they were able to listen and collaborate with each other.  From a teacher's perspective it was interesting to watch the confidence of our learners explode as they stepped outside of the box and began cutting their file folders.  Ultimately, each group was a winner and accepted the challenge!  

       

 

Our 6th period group consisted of both Algebra and 8th grade math learners.  Again, the vast amounts of experience brought a new level of engagement for most.  I wonder if some of the learners who had little experience with a hands-on lesson chose to remain "quiet" during the 15 minutes, while those who have done similar investigations took control of their group and guided their peers!

As the conclusion of our building time, we had a great discussion as to what made the tallest tower.  We had 2 groups that built from the table to the ceiling and taped their tower to the ceiling....again thinking outside of the box.  We all agreed they were definitely the most creative in their thinking!

Thinking Outside the Box

Our winners that followed the guidelines! 

Today's STEM challenge not only provided an optimal learning opportunity for our learners, but also for us teachers!  I'm grateful to work with a team of teachers who is willing to step out of their comfort zone and try new ideas, even when we have to be flexible as far as grouping or our location.  We modeled being solution seekers, rather than problem finders which ultimately is what 21st century learning entails.  I love the conversations that we had as educators as far as why certain events happened within our classes.

Today served as a reminder of why I love being a teacher, as well as a life-long learner!  

Planning Our First PBL

Over the past 5 months, both the math and science teachers have feverishly been working on earning our national STEM certification.  In Domain 3:  Engaging Students in Science and Engineering Practices, we as math educators stepped out of our comfort zone and entered the world of science.  We observed science classrooms, collaborating with both the students and teachers in these classrooms, as well as our administrative team.  One of the newest "ideas" in this domain was Action 13:  Implementing Project-Based Learning.

Within Action 13, there were 3 indicators:  authenticity of problem, student autonomy, communication skills.  Having had previous professional learning on PBLs, I had an upper hand in our conversations.  The only exposure to project-based learning most of my teammates have, as of May 1st, is a brief 30 minute discussion in February combined with a few videos and web searches about PBL....we have lots to learn, which is coming this summer during a week long focus on project-based learning!

My teammates agreed that doing this PBL would allow us to have some common experiences to reflect on during our June professional learning!  As we meet each day and discuss the next day's events, I remind myself what it was like to be in their shoes years ago and how taking these small steps is huge in becoming a 21st century educator.

Despite having a limited number of digital devices, we all agreed using Google classroom would be vital to our students' success!  Folders were created, resources were added and our daily PLC collaboration began.  One of the best parts of Google drive is being able to collaborate on the same document, no matter our location or time of day.

Our Planning Document

As we began to plan our PBL, we realized we needed to gather data throughout the learning process.  We created a google form survey that assesses our learners prior knowledge of STEM, college and financing their college education.  The timing could not have been more perfect with our Digital Specialist lead PLC over how to create a Google Form!  

Most of our student assignments can be found in the tasks folder.  Here our Google docs for research are stored, as well as a salary breakdown task, using Google sheets.  Our learners are pretty amazed at how the digital documents work and continue to become more familiar with them, as we begin our STEM career research!

Stay tuned to find out how our Falcons collaborate and and begin to justify their solutions to our driving question:

"In 2017, learners are being encouraged to become responsible global citizens by being innovative and creative in their ideas of the future.  However, it is expensive to obtain STEM training needed to be successful.  With the increasing amount of personal debt the average American has, how might we increase the amount collected in savings so that a person will graduate from college debt-free?"

Kicking off 2017

On Tuesday, January 3, the faculty and staff headed back to work at NRMS.  It was hard to believe our winter break had come to an end and it was ready to hit the road running, as second semester is always filled with test prep, end of year activities and this year, we add in completing our 100 hours of professional learning for our STEM certification, as well as packing up our classrooms to move into our new building.  Needless to say, it's going to be jammed packed with activity!

We were broken up into our Falcon Way houses.  It was a nice change to sit with those we don't usually interact with during the day.  Our first focus of our time together was to reflect on the past semester of Falcon Way and Reboot our Mindset as we begin the second semester.

Individually we filled out a quick questionnaire about ourselves.

• What did you do or enjoy the most over Christmas break?
• What are your favorite hobbies?
• What are your pet peeves?
• What is one goal you'd like to accomplish during your lifetime?
• Describe yourself using three words.

Papers were mixed together and shared amongst the group members.  We then had to guess who are paper belonged to!  Great way to get us adults talking to each other, but even a better model of what we can do with our learners to build community within our classrooms :)

As members of Courage house, we came together to focus on the celebrations of Falcon Way and areas of improvement.  I loved how if we had a concern, we had to have a solution!  To share our celebrations with others in the room, we used the web-based program, Mentimeter.  Given a code, we we were able to list 3 words or phrases that summarized our celebrations.  Below is the wordle that was created by our staff.

Each group was given 2 pieces of chart paper:  Concerns --> Suggestions & Brilliant Ideas.  I of course encourage our group to focus on the Brilliant Ideas, as this would continue the positive energy.  As a house, we loved the PJ fundraiser hosted by Mrs. Cherry's (@feliciacherry) Falcon Way members and the #wheelchairchallenge, hosted by Mrs. Peltier's (@mrspeltierNRMS) Falcon Way members.

Moving onto our Concerns --> Suggestions provided a consistent theme of time and knowing our students amongst our House.  Collaboration began and solutions are ready to be implemented when we meet on Monday!  I must say I was quite proud of my fellow housemates as they came up with an idea to mix up their classes, allowing for groups to work together on a common goal.  As a staff we participated in a gallery walk, looking at each other's ideas.  The ideas shared on the posters will be taken into consideration as we move forward with the implementation of Falcon Way!

What I hope that others will take away from this part of our time together are the various instructional strategies we participated in as students, rather than teachers.  All provided awesome ways to model being solution seekers, rather than problem finders!

We then moved into how to reconnect with our learners after a 2 week break.  Greeting students at the door, asking how break went and most of all making them feel apart of the learning community.  This activity reiterated to me the post I wrote about my goals for 2017 and being a positive teacher for ALL of the NRMS stakeholders.

Our ELA teachers shared with us the best reading strategies for all content areas.  Led by Kylie Norrel (@knorrell7) & Katherine Harvell (@mrs_harvell), we were given an article Model Behavior: The Mathematics of Juggling  We were guided through the processes of reading and analyzing text, as our learners do in their ELA classes.

The one comment that resonated with me, as a math teacher, was when other ELA teachers mentioned that the only reading that happens in math classes is with word problems.  This made me cringe knowing there are so many articles out there that pertain to math in the real world (just like the article we worked with today!).  I couldn't help but smile towards my teaching partner because of the learning that was about to happen in Room 27 over the next 3 days.  It was time to bust the myth of only reading word problems in math!

Our time together culminated with a focus on STEM.  All of the math and science teachers were recognized for the time and energy they have put forth in working towards our certification.  Our challenge was to build the tallest tower given 60" of tape and a file folder.  The energy sparked during this activity was phenomenal.

What did you take away from your first day back?

20 '17' Ways to Promote a Positive Learning Environment

As a new year begins I can't help but be more excited for what the coming months hold for the learners of Room 27!  Despite having to take "the" test in a few months, we have so much learning still to conquer.  After all our Falcons are soon to be Richland Rebels, where doors will continue to open to learning opportunities.  Opportunities in the classroom, on the field and in life!  

The past few months have re-ignited a love of teaching, learning and growing.  Loves that were lost amongst the everyday routines, placed on a bookshelf, filed away into a Google folder and forgotten about.  Through relationships with the other teachers and leaders on my campus, a spark was ignited and a passion was instilled.  

Model what You Want to See from Others

It's crazy to think who you surround yourself with impacts all aspects of your life!  I have found when surround by positive energy, my mindset changes to getting to go to work, rather than having to go to work.  I am continuously reminded of the why behind each day when I look into the hearts and souls of the learners of Room 27.  School provides much needed stability for some of our kids.  It's hard for me to hear students talk about how teachers don't like their students or don't seem happy to be at work.  Not only are kids absorbing our actions, words and thoughts, but so are fellow teachers and parents.  

Have Students Help Set Classroom Expectations

At the start of our school year, each class wrote mission statements!  I find myself reading them but wonder if the kids are taking time to truly understand what our mission statements mean.  I am going to be intentional with our conversations, while referring back to our mission statements, throughout our spring semester.  The spring semester is usually hectic, filled with stress as we approach testing season.  I want to emphasize the learning we are doing is not for a test, but rather to make us global citizens, who are college-ready.  

Learn 3 Things about a Student a Week

This goes hand in hand with our goal setting conferences that a few of us teachers are going to participate in together!  Though I don't teach all of the kids we will meet with over the next 6 weeks, I wouldn't miss the change to get to know them, both as a member of our school community, but also a person.  After all, the more accountability we can provide our kids and each other, the more success we will achieve! 

Celebrate!

Embracing a growth mindset has been vital to seeing the small victories that occur in a classroom!  In the "traditional" classroom, you get one opportunity to prove how smart you are with a unit assessment.  I have embraced the philosophy that every day we are faced with learning opportunities, not just an assignment.  Our learners are still trying to grasp the idea of being able to make corrections on any assignment, rather than just ones with a "failing" grade.

 

Thank Somebody Daily

Gratitude has empowered me to teach more effectively, appreciate my individual students, grow in my profession, and enjoy life. Utilizing gratitude, I am able to model one of the most important lessons in life, having a positive attitude, especially about the aspects of life that challenge me.

Gratitude in Education

@Lindseycato1 Gratitude Journal 

I know several who keep a gratitude journal, focusing on finding one thing they are thankful for each day.  I think this is vital to our well being and making the most of each day.  

 On social media, I'd encourage you to begin posting & searching #ThankfulThursday...it's contagious!

5:1 Ratio

5 positive interactions to every 1 negative interaction.  One of the best pieces of advice I've been given is to write everything with a positive tone.  For instance, instead of saying "but," use "and"; saying "our classroom" rather than "my classroom" ;  saying please remember, instead of don't forget...simple ways to turn our thinking into a positive mindset!  

Learn a New Way of Teaching, then Try It!

A friend of mine asked me to mentor her, which was a huge honor.  The craziest part is I think we are mentoring each other to be better teachers for our learners.  

One of the best books to transform our practices

Read a Professional Book

I'm guilty of taking advantage of our Amazon Prime account and having new books shipped weekly!  Thanks to my PLN, I'm constantly getting new book titles to read.  As we start 2017, I'm going back and rereading a few of my favorites, along with some of my teaching friends.  The joys of reading, is you can always learn something new!  

 

Now I anxiously away for the books to arrive and the learning to continue!  

Make a Class Mantra

1. We want our learners to care about problems they see in the world, acknowledging our desire to have empathy become the anchoring force in our learning community.
2. We want our learners to think deeply about the problems, coming to an understanding of what each problem really is.
3. We want our learners to use their creativity and imagination to design something (an object, process, or system) that could solve the problem.
4. We want our learners to act toward putting their design into production, whether that meant creating a physical prototype to present or a behavior that they or others can exhibit. 

So how can we take the 4 ideas that we want and turn them into a mantra?  I plan on asking our learners what they think our class mantra should be, after all it's not my classroom, but our classroom!  

Share Your Hidden Talents

Honestly, this is a challenging concept for me!  I think back to a few years ago when we had club time on Friday afternoons.  I was able to share my love of scrapbooking with about 25 students.  Even the few times during the past few months when I pulled out my Cricuit and showed the kids how to use it, they thought it was awesome!

This spring, I hope to share my love of Excel with my students, as well as creating digital presentations as we embark on our first PBL, focusing on STEM careers and financing our higher level education.  Stay tuned for more hidden talents to be shared with the learners of Room 27!

Encourage Parent Participation

I am a strong believer in keeping parents involved in the happenings of Room 27.  In fact, I still send weekly emails home so parents know what we are doing in class.  Sure there are concepts that are abstract, but that's where parents can ask their children about it and conversations can take place at home.

This past fall, we embarked on digital goal setting.  After meeting with each learner, he or she had to go home and discuss their goals with their parens, providing digital documentation!

         

Mother Son Goal Setting 

Father Daughter Goal Setting

After we were finished, I shared the following survey with the parents:  A Parent's Perspective on Goal Setting  I would have loved more parent input, however, I'm grateful for the feedback I did receive.  We will be revisiting our goals throughout the next semester, which I hope will allow parents to continue to feel apart of our journey!

Goal Setting Coffee Dates with Mom

Remember, even in middle school, parents love hearing from the teachers and being involved in their child's learning journey!

Recognize Positive Behavior-Reinforce It-Rinse-Repeat!

Focusing on the positive actions of our learners is huge in not only their success but the overall feel in our classroom!

Too many times we are quick to call out students for what they are doing wrong, rather than the behavior that is modeling positive consequences.  (Remember focusing on the positive for 2017!)  I am a strong believer in either emailing parents or calling when their child is doing well academically, working to their full potential or being a good role model for their peers.  Not all communication home has to be about academics!  

Greet Parents & Students as They Arrive

One of my goals during the first week of school is to know each child by name.  Sure I may make mistakes but what kids see is that I am trying.  By greeting the learners of Room 27 by their first name shows them that I respect who they are and the story they each tell.

When my teaching schedule changed in October from 3 classes to 5 classes, I quickly knew I had to create a connection with our Algebra kids.  Change is hard as an adult, but even more challenging as an 8th grader!  Within 3 days I had most names and faces connected, which was a new personal record.

I encourage you to also speak to your coworkers in the hallways.  A simple good morning or how are you can make somebody smile and brighten their day!  Be the reason others smile :) 

Make Sure Student Voice is Valued

For the past two years, I have used surveys both as formative assessments and summative reviews of our units of study.  Here is a link to one:  A Student's Perspective: Your Voice Matters  The information collected from these surveys helps me be more intentional with my instruction and meet the needs of our learners.

My goal for 2017 is to allow more student voice in how our classroom operates.  I'm currently working on my STEM certification and one of the indicators focuses on student voice in how the rooms looks (furniture set up).  

I've decided to give the following survey, when we return in a few days:  Where do You Learn Best?

I am already looking forward to seeing the impact this has on our learning environment.  Stayed tuned for details!

Give 100% Effort

The why behind my career...I get to learn along side some of the best people around!  By putting for 100% each day, I feel productive and successful, even if I hit an obstacle in the road.  When I'm not 100% engaged into our day of learning, I find that the day just drags.  Learning is monotonous and I can't wait until 4:15 so I can leave school.  Honestly, I've had only a few of those days this year, which I am beyond grateful.  I hope to continue being encouraged and supported to give 100% each and every day!  

The Why to Each Day

Recognize the Small Wins

This is where my goal of reflecting on each day is going to serve as my reminder of what small victories each day holds!  I'm grateful for the joy writing brings me and can't wait to continue documenting our journey in 2017

Go All In!

Stay tuned for the incredible learning and growth that happens in Room 27 this semester.  We are looking forward to sharing our growth with you, as we prepare for life beyond the 4 walls of our classroom!

Eliminating the Teacher Zone (Indicator 4)...Who's Classroom is It?

As I walked into my new classroom, in August, all I could see what a huge black box.  A black box that brought me back to the start of my teaching career.  A black box that I knew I must get out of my room as soon as possible!  A black box known as a TEACHER desk....

One of the biggest changes I made was 5 years ago, when our administrative team changed at CTMS.  With a change in leadership came expectations in regards to classroom setup.  How could we best utilize our classrooms to enhance learning?  

This same question was brought up in our STEM certification training (Indicator 4).  Too many times, we as teachers have 30-40% of the classroom devoted to our stuff, "the Teacher Zone."  In reality, we should have minimal space devoted to our things in a classroom.  

Optimal learning occurs when a teacher is utilizing every minute in a classroom, where students are utilizing 21^st Century skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking.  Educators are in the power zone, questioning about their thinking and guiding students as they find solutions to real life problems.  In a student-centered learning environment, learners have opportunities for individualized learning, as well as being a leader in the classroom.  Both students and teachers are reflective learners; thinking about their experiences and connecting them to real world situations, in a student-centered classroom. 

The book that changed our learning environment

Having participated in a campus-wide book study over The Fundamental Five by Sean Cain and Teach Like a Pirate, by Dave Burgess, I, as an educator, experienced growth as a learner.  Cain focuses on five characteristics:  framing the lesson, working in the power zone, frequent, small-group, purposeful talk about the learning, recognizing and reinforcing and writing critically.   As an educator, these characteristics help educators focus and make decisions that are intentional and meaningful.  By making these changes, student achievement rises! 

Once the big black box was removed from C8 years ago, I knew the room would never go back to a teacher-led classroom.  Creativity, collaboration and critical thinking emerged.  Worksheets disappeared and driving questions emerged.  Our learning opportunities were no longer limited to the 4 walls of our classroom, which makes learning more meaning and intentional for all stakeholders.  

Currently I have a table, that holds the document camera.  However, there are chairs ready for students.  In fact students beg to come work at the table, despite working in table groups.  I think there is something about sitting in a regular chair :)  

Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I sat at "my" teacher area.  I encourage each of you to look around your classroom and see how much space is devoted to student learning.  Are you teaching from a teacher-centered platform or a student-centered learning platform?  

Kicking off our STEM Certfication!

 Domain 1:  Creating an Environment for Learning 

We had nearly 2 weeks to think about which option for certification worked best for us.  Tough decisions were made and it was decided that some of our certification modules would be completed during our department PLC, some with both our math & science departments (after all it’s about both of our content areas!), while others would require some of our personal time. 

On Friday, December 2, 2016, we meet as a department in our computer lab, where we kicked off our STEM certification!  Our focus, Domain 1: Creating an Environment for Learning.  Kathryn walked us through the website and we began to dive into our online curriculum.  

We were given an article to read and collaborate on with our shoulder partners: Building Empathy in Classrooms & Schools and then watched a classroom video, which would lead to thought provoking discussions on what makes a learning environment positive.  

I must be honest, after watching the video and hearing my peers thoughts, the wheels begin to spin.  Spin because I realized just how vast our experience and knowledge as teachers is within our department.  We each have different ideas as far as what a positive learning environment looks, sounds and feels like.  By going through our certification together, we will grow together and help each other grow in this aspect.  After all, we are learners too!  

Observing each other was the next task on our agenda!  I always love observing others' classrooms because you can always learn something new.  From a new way to group students or an instructional strategy to implement in our classrooms, powerful conversations amongst my team members evolved!

Guiding Questions for our Video Reflection & Classroom Observations

1. How would you characterize the majority of interactions between the teacher and student?

2. Describe what you would consider to be positive interactions.  How do you determine which interactions are positive?

3. Describe any interactions you observed that you would have changed, and how you would have changed them.  

Becoming 21st Century Learners through the World of Code

All I can say is how proud I am of our Falcons, as my teaching partner, Mrs. Harvey!  The learners of Room 25 & 27 participated in National Hour of Code yesterday.  Sure there was some hesitation, due to the uncertainty, but most of all there was a contagious excitement, as we embraced innovative, 21st century learning!

Pictures were being shared on social media of their creations, as well as texts and emails to their parents showing what fun they were having in class.

Sharing via Email

Sharing on Social Media

Sure we, as teachers, "gave up" a day of instruction, but in the long run we did what was best for our kids!  By being intentional with the time we have during the day, we are able to integrate learning opportunities, such as Hour of Code.

What did students learn during our Hour of Code? 

Falcon Shout Outs go to.....


 Rashel Larson (@raschellarson)

• for creating an Hour of Code 101 Smore for our teachers!  Hour of Code: Learning to Program  This helped alleviate anxiety as we were taking a risk and trying something new; we were modeling being a 21st century learner. 

• for joining us yesterday and popping back and forth between our classrooms.  You were able to answer questions our kids had about various programs, as well as help with various devices. 

• for providing continuous support, as our campus begins to embrace a digital learning platform! 

Connecting Minecraft to Coding

Jaclyn Harvey (@jharvey0512) 

• for your willingness to embrace Hour of Code with our kids!  
• for participating along side our kids, modeling that we are all life long learners

Teamwork makes the Dreamwork

Mrs. Harvey created herself as an emoji

David Rademacher (@davidkrad17)

• for sharing your passion of learning with our Falcons, as you shared your experiences with mathematics, science and computer programming!  

Learning from an BCTAL student about coding

Pythagorean Theorem in Code

Connections were being made between math and the real world!  

When 4 boys asked if they could skip lunch, I knew our day of learning was worth it!  We're already trying to figure out how we can do this as a club, as well as fitting it into our upcoming units of study.

Stay tuned for students' digital reflections using www.canva.com