Staff Update: Quick Read Archive
Barbara Bush Elementary | Instruction & Information
May 21, 2021
Last week's quick read (which is included below) focused on assigning purposeful homework. As you consider homework for next school year, take some time to consider that homework should be purposeful rather than routine. As we consider homework, it is not possible to both create the year's homework now and have purposeful homework. An example of homework that is potentially purposeful comes from The New Art and Science of Teaching Reading. In that text, Simms and Marzano assert, "If parents are to be involved [in homework], they should receive clear instructions as well as possess the resources and skills required to perform the roles teachers request of them" (p. 111).
May 14, 2021
Assigning Purposeful Homework is Element 20 in The New Art and Science of Teaching. This element is addressed on pages 60-61 in the text. In short, Marzano argues, "[h]omework is perhaps one of the most misused strategies in K-12 classrooms; it is too often assigned as a matter of routine. Hattie (in Visible Learning for Teachers and the video below) identifies homework (as currently implemented) as having zero effect on student achievement at the elementary level.
In identifying strategies for assigning purposeful homework, Marzano suggests:
- Homework preview
- Homework to deepen knowledge
- Homework to practice or process a skill
- Parent-assessed homework
More complete descriptions of these strategies are included in Table 6.6 on page 60 of The New Art and Science of Teaching.
April 30, 2021
April 18, 2021
Each teacher has a copy of The New Art and Science of Teaching. As you explore the text, begin by wrapping your head around the three overarching categories and ten design areas that are part of the framework.
Three Categories
- Feedback
- Content
- Context
Ten Design Areas
- Providing and communicating clear learning goals
- Using assessments
- Conducting direct instruction lessons
- Conducting practicing and deepening lessons
- Conducting knowledge application lessons
- Using strategies that appear in all types of lessons
- Using engagement strategies
- Implementing rules and procedures
- Building relationships
- Communicating high expectations
April 11, 2021
February 28, 2021
February 7, 2021
I share this article, School Wasn't So Great Before COVID, Either, as an opportunity to force us to think about school—and education—more broadly. I hope it opens dialogue about what school can be and what we believe "normal" should be.
January 15, 2021
Brené Brown is one of my favorite researchers and authors. I love that her advice is founded in research AND that she can bring me to my knees emotionally. I am currently listening to Rising Strong on my commute to work and back home. This morning on my commute, her stories nearly brought me to tears.
January 8, 2021
As we move forward from our Culture and Diversity Awareness professional learning Tuesday, I offer this reading about implicit bias for your Quick Read. Is Implicit Bias Racist? was written by Zaretta Hammond. Hammond is the developer of the levels of culture we discussed Tuesday.
December 13, 2020
December 6, 2020
November 20, 2020
November 6, 2020
October 30, 2020
We Have to Prepare Students for the Next Level, Don't We?
by Rick Wormeli
http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet.aspx?ArtMID=888&ArticleID=772
October 20, 2020
October 9, 2020
As a follow-up to our meeting with Mark this morning, please take some time to review the information on the CISD Reading Academy web site.
Reading Academy Web Site
October 2, 2020
I've thought a lot recently about our kiddos and how they respond to the world we are living in. I struggle with truly understanding our students and their individual needs. I continually work to rid deficit thinking from my professional repertoire. That is difficult, because I feel like we are all conditioned to ask: What is wrong? and How can we fix that?
I challenge each of us to change the conversation. As I said earlier this year, please call me out when I succumb to deficit thinking. This is a challenging process. It is all too easy to want a child, or all children, to conform to the entirety of the system we have in place. But the humane thing for us to do is to understand that each child comes to us with unique talents. We, you and I, have to find those talents and recreate our systems and structures to meet each child's needs. And, yes, that recreation may happen every year ... or multiple times in a year.
This notion is partly behind the idea of Passion Projects and working to develop engaging enrichment opportunities. More than that, the idea of truly meeting kids where they are is essential to Conroe ISD's commitment to differentiation. It is also the entire basis of conversations based on the six critical PLC questions.
Jonathan Mooney quotes Martha Nussbaum (from Frontiers of Justice) at the beginning of chapter one in his book Normal Sucks. Here is the Nussbaum quote:
"Still, it would be progress if we could acknowledge that there really is no such thing as 'the normal child': instead, there are children, with varying capabilities and varying impediments, all of whom need individualized attention as their capabilities are developed."
And, later in the chapter, Mooney describes his early experiences in school this way:
"If that wasn’t enough, then came school, where I quickly became 'one of those kids.' From my first day in kindergarten at Pennekamp Elementary School, me and school just didn’t get along. It started with the desk. My relationship with my school desk was fraught: five seconds into class, my foot starts bouncing; ten seconds in, both feet; fifteen seconds in, I bust out the drums. After a few minutes, it’s all over. Then I’m trying to put my leg behind my neck. No, that desk and me did not get along."
I struggle. I continue to catch myself using deficit thinking. I engage in the processes that have always been there. I do this even when the weight lies heavy on my heart. I ask myself constantly: Is this best of kids? For this kid? And, I balance that with the question of how hard I am pushing. I know, too, that I have to continue to ask myself these questions. I will not grow in the direction of supporting all of my students if I do not.
With my deepest passion, I encourage you to listen to the words of Jonathan Mooney in the video below. And, I ask you to consider taking up his book—Normal Sucks—if you are ready to truly take on the question of what each kid needs.
--Jarod
September 25, 2020
This is another post related to instructional practice that will be part of an upcoming conversation. Enjoy!
Decrease the Need for Intervention: Strengthen Classroom Instruction
September 18, 2020
Examining instructional practices is an essential step in growing as professional educators. For the next few weeks, we will have Quick Read articles that address ideas about teaching and learning. Please read these articles as they will be part of future faculty meeting conversations about the work we do. Today's article is:
Beyond the Weekly Word List
September 7, 2020
August 23, 2020
August 16, 2020
August 9, 2020
May 22, 2020
May 15, 2020
If nothing else, Ken Robinson forces us to think about the structure and realities of school. I encourage to read and think about these paragraphs from Creative Schools.
"The problem with conformity in education is that people are not standardized to begin with. Let me be clear: in challenging the idea of conformity in schools, I’m not advocating antisocial behavior. All communities depend on agreed conventions of conduct. If people consistently flout them, the community itself may founder. By conformity, I mean the institutional tendency in education to judge students by a single standard of ability and to treat those who don’t meet it as 'less able' or 'disabled'—as deviations from the norm. In this sense, the alternative to conformity is not condoning disruption; it is celebrating diversity. Students’ individual talents take many forms and they should be fostered in similarly diverse ways.
Every individual is unique. We all differ physically and in our talents, personalities, and interests. A narrow view of conformity inevitably creates enormous numbers of nonconformists who may be rejected by the system or be earmarked for remedial treatment. Those who meet the system specifications are likely to do well; those who don’t are not.
This is one of the core issues in promoting a culture of strict compliance in education. I’m not talking here about standards of behavior and social conduct, but about whether and how students are encouraged to ask questions, to look for alternative and unusual answers, and to exercise their powers of creativity and imagination. Strict compliance is essential in manufacturing products, but people are different. It’s not just that we come in all shapes and sizes. In the right circumstances, we are also highly imaginative and creative. In a culture of compliance, these capacities are actively discouraged, even resented."
Robinson, Ken. Creative Schools (pp. 36-37). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
May 8, 2020
May 1, 2020
April 27, 2020
Quick Read Archive
A list of all Quick Reads can be found here: https://www.smore.com/8rfxh.April 20, 2020
Jessica Lahey is an educator and author. I discovered her work today that's to Rachel introducing me to a podcast in which she was interviewed. In the video below, Lahey talks about the three ways to get intrinsic motivation. I am drawn to Lahey's work (and this video) because of the ideas she discusses here. A lot of this research on motivation is drawn from the work of Daniel Pink. (See information on our summer book study below.)
The three ways to get intrinsic motivation are intimately linked to many of the things we are moving toward at Bush. The three ways to intrinsic motivation are:
- Autonomy
- Competence
- Connection
April 13, 2020
April 3, 2020
Zoom has been in the news a lot recently. As with any online tool, security must be a consideration. Take a few minutes to read the Forbes article linked below.
The image below has additional security information. You can find the image online using the link below.
March 27, 2020
March 6, 2020
https://catlintucker.com/2019/02/ask-yourself-why-am-i-grading-this/
February 28, 2020
February 21, 2020
When we think about student growth and achievement, Tier I instruction is the most important component of what we provide as a school for students. Often, we find ourselves wondering what else we can do, what program we can implement, or where we can send students for extra help. This blog post makes the case for decreasing the need for intervention by strengthening classroom instruction. I'm interested to know what you think.
February 14, 2020
School connectedness is a growing area of research. Educators and researchers alike take an interest in whether being connected to a school makes a difference in academic achievement, social and emotional development, and graduation rates. One idea related to school connectedness is the development of house systems in schools across the country. This quick read explores the ideas behind house systems.
February 7, 2020
https://simonsinek.com/discover/great-leaders-organizations-advance-a-just-cause/
Here is my first attempt at capturing my Just Cause in words:
- My Just Cause is to create a world where people think deeply to understand their role in society, read critically to understand the world around them, and engage in conversation to build meaning with their neighbors.
January 31, 2020
January 24, 2020
January 17, 2020
https://blog.behaviorflip.com/retakes-support-growth-mindset/
January 10, 2020
The video below was shared Tuesday. I wanted to share the link with you in case you would like to watch it again. I have viewed it multiple times, and I pick up something new each time I watch it.
December 19, 2019
This week, I'm sharing a couple of quick reads. I've read the first article a couple of times. There is always a new nugget of wisdom or item to trigger thinking each time I read it. The second link is a longer blog entry from Cult of Pedagogy (one of my favorite podcasts).
I hope you enjoy these quick reads and that they continue our collective mental wheels turning.
How Ending Behavior Rewards Helped One School Focus on Student Motivation and Chacter
Restorative Justive in School: An Overview
December 13, 2019
December 6, 2019
The Five Principles of Classroom Culture (p. 342)
- Discipline
- Management
- Control
- Influence
- Engagement
November 22, 2019
https://jubilantmommydiary.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/a-message-to-my-childs-teacher/
November 15, 2019
This short blog entry addresses data and questions about data in a collaborative team meeting. Spoiler alert: data is more than test scores.
The Conroe Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding these non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator, 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304; (936)-709-7700 and the Section 504/ADA Coordinator, 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304; (936) 709-7670.