Secondary 7-12 Focus on Instruction
December 2020
IC Corner
On Monday, December 7, the Long Range Steering Committee met for the last time this year. Over the last semester, the committee has worked to draft profiles of the ideal learner, educator, and leader in Westwood ISD, and then decide what facilities those individuals needed to be successful. A lot of time and work went into these documents, and on Monday we got to celebrate our successes and listen to feedback from a student panel.
This panel consisted of 7 students from 6th to 12th grade, and they had some truly interesting insight to give us. Every single one spoke of craving relationships with teachers and the desire for an education grounded in the real world - even though neither of those was directly asked in the questions posed to them. One more thing stuck out to me, though, and it came from our very own junior high and high school students.
More than one student talked about the desire to be pushed in school. They want rigor and they want to have to think. Cookie-cutter worksheets don't excite them - being challenged does. I know, I know...students complain about this all the time. The same students who discussed frustration with lack of rigor also complained about feeling frustrated and behind. Any time students are pushed, they whine and push back. But that's normal! Learning is hard. Breaking down and rebuilding neural pathways is hard work, and it's natural and human to seek the path of least resistance. But that doesn't mean they don't want it. It's also human to want to learn and know more. And I believe the secret to closing the gaps between that desire to learn and the student who seeks the path of least resistance is in one of the other things they spoke of - relationships. If we build relationships with these kids and understand why they're scared of learning, they will be more likely to trust us when we ask them to step outside their comfort zone.
There's a whole sermon I could get into there. Will building relationships and increasing rigor work for every student? No. It won't, and we'd be lying to ourselves if we said it did. But reducing rigor isn't going to reach those students either. So why cripple the entire group's education with low-level teaching when you could push 9/10 of them to their full capabilities? And if you take opportunities to build relationships, the students who don't respond to that push might just show you why. If we continue with cookie-cutter levels of education, however, we'll never know what most of our students are capable of and we'll never be presented with the opportunity to learn about those who resist.
Focus on a Strategy
One thing I've discovered in this new digital-heavy age we've been thrust into this year is that I absolutely hate seeing and hearing myself on video. Hate it. I don't think I'll ever get used to it, honestly.
But...
Video is also a potentially amazing instructional tool. When I look past my own issues with seeing and hearing myself, I have to admit I've learned a lot. Last year, the instructional coaches went to a training with Jim Knight and videoed ourselves in a coaching conversation and then gave ourselves feedback. It was illuminating, and now I'm addicted. Video doesn't lie. It doesn't gloss over that weirdly unnecessary and distracting hand movement, it doesn't miss that you failed to actively monitor the student in the corner, and it doesn't sugarcoat how bad of a job you did explaining that concept.
If you are ready to really face both the flaws and awesomeness in your own instruction and classroom management, untainted by human bias, I highly recommend utilizing video. It can be as simple as recording your Google Meet for a class period. Or you can borrow the GoPro I have. Or I can come in and video it myself using my phone or yours. Dealer's choice. You can keep the video and never let anyone else look at it, or you can share it with me for another perspective. I have a couple of helpful forms and templates to help you focus while watching your video, or I can come up with something tailored to a specific thing you'd like to be working on.
As always, if you want to give it a try or want feedback, don't hesitate to ask me!
Focus on a Resource
This makes me VERY excited to announce that we now have a district license! All teachers now have access to the full version of PearDeck. If you don't know what it is, here is a video that will get you started. It's essentially a Google Slides add-on. You can take any existing Google Slides and expand its functionality to include live presentations where your slides are on the students' screens and formative assessments, attention checks, websites, and more embedded directly into your slideshow. This is a powerful little piece of software that can really take synchronous and in-class instruction the next level.
When we come back from Christmas break, there will be a training offered that first day back - January 4 (a teacher workday). It won't take long, an hour or so, but I highly encourage everyone to attend. If you can't wait until then, check out PearDeck's YouTube channel, it's full of helpful videos. This is something that could be utilized effectively in ANY classroom in the district.
Lesson Study
Texas Lesson Study is a fantastic program. Teams of teachers work together to set goals for students, then develop, teach, and revise research-based lessons. So far, Sarah and Ashleigh have worked on developing motivated students who take ownership of their own learning. Their first cycle worked on teaching students to effectively use summarization and text structures in the context of science, and their second worked on improving student comfort with various technology tools. I can't wait to see what they want to work on next!
If you're interested in being a part of this program, or just have questions about the process and benefits, definitely let me know! I truly believe in the efficacy of this program and would love to have more groups from Westwood representing the research being done!
Implementing TEKS Resource System
Region 7 ESC Courses
- TEKS RS 101 (Online Course, everyone)
- WEBINAR: Level Up Screencasts (12/15/20, 3:30-4:30pm, everyone)
- Exploring the ELAR Middle School TEKS (Online course, 6-8 ELAR)
- Virtual Makerspaces (1/5/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, everyone)
- Using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to Create Amazing Student Products (1/6/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, everyone)
- Library Choice Boards (1/7/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, K-12 ELAR)
- Create, Draw, and make GIFs with Google Slides (1/12/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, 4-12 any subject)
- Teaching Quadratic Functions and Equations to Mastery (1/12/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, 8-12 math)
- Effective, Engaging, Exciting Distance Learning Strategies (1/13/21, 3:30-4:30pm, everyone)
- Differentiation with Google Apps (1/14/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, k-12 any subject)
- Integrating Projects and Content into your Learning Management System (1/19/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, K-12 any subject)
- Digital Tools to Support Literacy (1/20/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, anyone)
- Create Virtual Classrooms with Google Slides (1/22/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, anyone)
- Cooperative Learning (1/26/21, 9:00am-12:00pm, anyone)
- Junior High School ELAR Planning with TEKS RS - Webinar (1/26/21, 4:00-6:00pm, 6-8 ELAR)
- Using Menus to Differentiate (1/27/21, 9:00am-4:00pm, anyone)
- Technology Tools for the Social Studies & Science Classroom (1/28/21, 8:30am-3:30pm, 5-12 Science & Social Studies)
- Secondary ELAR Planning with TEKS RS - Webinar (1/28/21, 4:00-6:00pm, 6-12 ELAR)
Haley Avery
Email: hbavery@westwoodisd.net
Website: www.westwoodisd.net
Location: HS Rm 151, JH Rm 212
Phone: (903) 480-0336
Twitter: @haleybavery