WMS Bulletin
01-13-20 Faculty and Staff
A little spring in our step? :)
Hello,
At the risk of being repetitive since it's all everyone is talking about, what a weekend! The weather was spectacular! I hope everyone enjoyed the warmth. I had windows open everywhere, hoping all winter germs would fly right out!
I loved this excerpt from the Marshall Memo this past week on giving feedback to students. The nuances seem small but can make a huge difference!
3. Four Principles for Giving Feedback to Students
In this article in Middle School Journal, Alison Koenka (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Eric Anderman (The Ohio State University) describe how teachers in two different classrooms handled a discussion with their seventh graders as they read Lois Lowry’s novel, The Giver. Each teacher asked the same question – “What do you think is the theme of this book?” – and in both classes there were lots of hands in the air and the teachers called on one student. But then the classes diverged:
- In the first, the student who was called on shared an enthusiastic comment about the book’s theme of memory. The teacher nodded and said, “Yes, anyone else?” The student slumped back in his seat and no other students offered to contribute.
- In the second class, the teacher responded, “Yes, memory is certainly an important theme. Now, let’s enrich that response further by also explaining what makes it so important, and supporting our arguments with specific examples from the book.” The student who responded sat up a little straighter and flipped through her book looking for examples. Other students were eager to join the discussion.
The key difference, say Koenka and Anderman, was “specific, student-centered information delivered to students about their performance in a motivation-building way.” The authors suggest four characteristics of the most effective feedback:
• Specific – Written comments on students’ work (spelling out why it was good and what could be improved or extended) have a far more positive impact on motivation and performance than grades or generic praise (“Good work”). With formative assessments, there’s an argument for giving comments and no grades.
• Task-focused, self-referenced, with identifying next steps – Feedback should target specific features of students’ performance, refer to their own previous performance, and identify what needs to be done next. These components are especially important for middle-school students, say Koenka and Anderman, because they make the feedback informational rather than controlling, supporting early adolescents’ “burgeoning need for autonomy.” The informational approach also encourages the development of self-efficacy – confidence in one’s own ability to complete tasks successfully. Commenting on students’ writing using track changes and comment boxes is a great way to give focused, self-referenced, and a next-step focus. Providing comments via video livestreaming is even more effective.
• Not norm-referenced – Comparing students’ performance to that of their peers is especially damaging for middle-school students because of their heightened sensitivity to the opinions of their contemporaries. A teacher’s comments, however well-meaning, about the “best lab report in the class” or a “terrific class average” are not helpful to students who didn’t do so well. And counterintuitively, praise isn’t good for students who are singled out because it may set them up for ostracism and communicate that it’s all about outperforming others rather than the intrinsic benefits of learning.
• Not about personal characteristics – The trap with comments like “You’re a natural writer” and “You were born to be a scientist” is that the traits are seen by students as innate and unchangeable. This encourages a fixed versus a growth mindset, definitely not helpful to improving performance. Students may react positively in the moment, but it will sap their motivation and willingness to take risks and deal with more-challenging work down the road. Koenka and Anderman say that fixed-mindset thinking is especially unhelpful to middle-school students since they are just forming their adult identities.
“Personalized Feedback as a Strategy for Improving Motivation and Performance Among Middle-School Students” by Alison Koenka and Eric Anderman in Middle School Journal, November 2019 (Vol. 50, #5, pp. 15-22), https://bit.ly/2FmHKfv; the authors can be reached at koenkaac@vcu.edu and anderman.1@osu.edu.
Have an excellent week!
Duties This Week:
AM: Cafeteria / PM Waverley and Bemis: J. Daigneault
AM: Cafeteria / PM Bemis and Westminster: L. McDonagh
AM: Waverley Entrance / PM Waverley Driveway: E. Fitanides
Bemis St. Crosswalk: K. Conceison
The full Bus/Breakfast duty schedule can be found here:
Bus and Breakfast Duty Schedule
Lunch Duty this Week: None! Please keep asking around and let me know if you know anyone who might be interested! We need to fill 1-2 more spots.
**Upcoming Dates**
January 15 - i-Ready Mathematics Diagnostic Special schedule
January 15 - Early Release Day 12:30 pm
January 15 - PD 1:00-4:00 pm - Please fill out Google Form to indicate choices here
***This Wednesday is an early release day, and the three PD hours will be split into three sessions. The third session will be PLT, but you have choices for the first two sessions. Please fill out this form to indicate in which PD sessions you would like to participate - thank you! If you have any questions, please email me or any member of PDT: Megan G, Holly, or Karen S.
January 15 - PTO meeting 7:00 pm
January 16 - MLK Assembly - 1:45-3:00 pm - Special schedule
January 16 - Equity event 6:00-8:00 pm WMS
January 20 - NO SCHOOL
January 20 - MLK Unity Breakfast
January 21 - ILT meeting 7:15 am
January 22 - Grade 8 to WHS
January 22 - Equity Leaders meeting 3:00-5:00 pm
January 23 - i-Ready Reading Diagnostic Special Schedule
January 27 - Mentor/Mentee meeting
January 27 - Last day of Term 2 / Semester 1
January 28 - First day of Term 3 / Semester 2
January 31 - Grades and Effort Roll due
February 5 - Faculty meeting
February 5 - School Site Council meeting
February 6 - PDT meeting
February 7 - School Dance
February 12 - Department meetings
February 17 - February 21 - NO SCHOOL - February vacation
February 24 - Mentor/Mentee meeting
Evaluation updates
You can expect to see Jason, coordinators, and me making the rounds for observations over the next few weeks. All non-professional teachers will receive their formative evaluations by February 1st. Formative Evaluation meetings will be held during the period 2/1 through 2/15. The following is language taken directing from our evaluation timeline document.
The evaluator should complete mid-cycle:
February 1: Formative Assessment Reports for educators on one-year educator plans.
February 15: Formative Assessment Meetings if requested by either evaluator or educator.
If you have any questions, please see me or another administrator.
ILT Update - "Unpacking" Learning Targets and Learning Strolls Part 2
Please find an "Unpacking Cheat Sheet" HERE.
Additionally, the ILT will be doing part 2 of the Learning Strolls to see some of that "Unpacking". Please check in with one of the ILT members to discuss a good time for that to happen. You may want to have the same person as you had for term 1, or perhaps someone new. If you have any questions, please also see an ILT member. Thank you!
ILT members: Heidi, Eddie, Jason, Jim D., Meg G., Jim K., Kerri, Donna, Chris, Kellie, Karen S., Alison T.
Attendance Issues
Thank you!
Important ESL Information
Also, one new highlight is that we should have the PHLOTE (Primary Home Language Other Than English) category in Power School to say if the family requires interpretation. They have dedicated much time to marking this field. If you find that the families marked do NOT require interpretation please let Kate or me know. In the same vein, if they haven't marked someone as needing interpretation, please also let Kate or me know.
WPS Digital Learning/Library and Computer Science
Respecting one another's classes
Thank you!
No Backpacks to Period 7 please!
***They may also need a reminder by their lockers that they can't pack them up either. Taking the time to pack their bags will also make them late!***