It's official - I'm a teacher!

UVEI graduation was this evening.  After a long, hard-at-times year it is suddenly coming to an end.  Tonight was a shining example of the saying, "the days are long, but the years are short." 

Fall in fifth, spring in kindergarten.  Both had their pros and cons, and both were great.  I miss my fifth grade buddies and I know I will miss the kindergarteners as well.  They gave me a sweet book today in which each kiddo had drawn a picture of me and them and written a sentence about what they like to do with me or how they will miss me.  It was very sweet and made me feel very happy and loved.  I have two more days with them and then we’re out for the summer.

Tonight I graduated from UVEI and officially have my Elementary Teaching certification.  I’m certified to teacher K-8 in the great state of New Hampshire.  In the next week or so I’ll receive my license in the mail, then I’ll turn it around and get my VT license.  Then, maybe, I’ll get a job!

Hubby and the kids came to the ceremony tonight to continue their wonderful support of my new career.  I put them in charge of the camera and they did a great job! :)

This is my faculty coach speaking and my coaching group. It was a great group and I really enjoyed working and learning with them this year.

I got my teaching certificate and a family photo. It was a good evening!

We have two more days of school and then out for the summer.  I'm going to miss everyone and being in the classroom, but I'm also looking forward to some summer downtime!  

Getting closer...

Only 14 days until I graduate and can be an official teacher!  Only 13 days of school left!  Eeek!  The year has flown by.  I applied for my NH license yesterday.  All online and easy-peasy.  Now I'm gathering things for my VT license.  That is completely offline and a bit more of a process.  It will be worth it in the end though, when I'm a classroom teacher next year! 

I want to write a delightfully detailed post here, describing all that I have been doing and feeling these last few weeks... but unfortunately I am completely "written" out!  I'm working on ten "competency narratives" showing my beliefs, understandings, and experiences with the ten teacher internship competencies for my UVEI portfolio.  I recently finished my 60 page TCAP project, and I'm now working on cover letters, resumes, and interview portfolio.  Writing, writing, writing!  My kiddos complain of having to write two sentences and it's all I can do not to pull out the stacks (e-stacks, it's all in Google Docs!) of writing I've been doing lately!

I've read a few great books this spring, including How People Learn, Multiple Intelligences, Mindsets, and The Continuum of Literacy Learning.  Some more interesting than other.  In full disclosure, also The Goldfinch and Inferno. :)  Gotta have a little fun in there!

There is a lot going on at school as well.  Reading groups, math story problems, day and night studies, and more.   We should get a few more good days of education before the summer slide sets in! 

I will be back soon with deep thoughts and insightful comments, but for now every thought I have is going into my competency narratives and cover letters.  Writing, writing, writing.

TCAP

This year UVEI is participating in the New Hampshire IHE Teacher Common Assessment of Performance (TCAP) program, a pilot program to design a state-wide teacher assessment.  I believe other states are doing similar things, all with the hope, I think, that it will go nationwide in the near future.

I like the idea of a common assessment so teachers are assessed using the same standards across the board, much like students with the Common Core State Standards.  I'm not saying they have to teach the same things or the same way, but it makes sense to me that there would be common factors in the assessments, much like the standards that exist for other professions.

This TCAP pilot program is not a requirement for UVEI, but they gave us the option and encouraged anyone to try.  I decided it would be a good way to challenge myself, pushing my learning at UVEI further.  It has given me the opportunity to think deeply about my lesson process, from the initial examination of the class through to the assessments and lesson reflections.  The whole process is considered.

For my lesson series I started with the Bridges in Mathematics program, which we use at my current school.  We were approaching a series of lessons around story problems, so I decided to do my TCAP project with that.  I created a four-part lesson series based on the Bridges program and tailored to my particular class.  I did case studies of several students and considered how to address their needs, and those of the class as a whole, in my lesson plans.

A student created story problem.

I then taught, recorded, and reflected on my lessons.  The lessons included acting out story problems, using sea creature plastic figures to create story problems with manipulatives, drawing our own story problems, and then solving the problems the students created.  The four-part series ended up being five lessons in total because the class thoroughly enjoyed the final lesson, solving story problems their peers had created, and wanted to continue past our available time.  For the fifth lesson we reviewed the first four, reviewed story problem solving strategies, and then tackled some of the more challenging problems the students had created. 

Using strategies to solve a story problem.

While teaching the lessons I made observational assessments on a formative assessment checklist I maintained throughout the lesson series.  I also collected the story problems the students created and I had them each solve one story problem on paper so I could collect that as well.  I scored those two work samples against a rubric I created for this project. 

I'm now in the final writing stages of the TCAP project, making sure I've addressed all of the questions answered, thoroughly analyzed my video clips, checked and double-checked my writing, and then checked it all over again.  Then I will submit it to UVEI and see where it goes from there.

Then, on to the next writing piece!  No shortage of planning, reflecting, and writing in a teacher's busy day!

Mindsets

Have you heard about the idea of mindsets? Namely "fixed" or "growth" mindsets? I first read about it in an article UVEI gave me last August, then I saw a TED talk about it at a teacher in-service day this fall. Last week at UVEI we had a guest speaker who talked about mindsets a lot as well. I think the idea is fascinating, so I finally bought the book.

Carol Dweck, the author, defines a fixed mindset as "believing your qualities are carved in stone." The idea that you are born one way and can't change. You are smart, or artistic, or athletic. You are great or you are not. However, the "growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts." With a growth mindset you believe that "everyone can change and grow through application and experience."

I'm on page 39 and so far the book does thrill me, but the idea does. She's given tons of examples on fixed mindset versus growth mindset, and each example makes it sound like a fixed mindset is a horrible thing and that fixed mindset people are awful to be around. The book starts off as a grandiose self-help book, right from the subtitle of the book, "How we can learn to fulfill our potential." I hope it gets a little more substantial as it goes along, although it's not even until the very last chapter that she talks about how to change your mindset. She does promise it's possible.

When I first heard of the idea I thought, "of course I'm a growth mindset!" Obviously. I am confident that I can do anything I set my mind to, and the idea that we are capped mentally or physically and are completely unable to improve ourselves is ridiculous. It wasn't until David Grant, the speaker at my UVEI seminar, said that it's possible for a person to have different mindsets in different areas, or to be mostly one mindset, but sometimes the other that I started thinking, "hmmm..." Professionally I have no doubt that I have a growth mindset. I am confident that anything I strive for, I can achieve, and do well at. I have always done very well and been very highly regarded at every job I've had. Not to brag, but it's true. My biggest doubt usually is whether or not I'll be happy with the career I choose.

However, this weekend I got to thinking about the diet and exercise side of my brain. I see people who are more fit than I am and think, "I could look like that if I tried." But I don't try. "I could lose this weight (again!) if I just set my mind to it." But I don't set my mind to it. Instead I walk around in an fog and eat more cookies. I think I could lose weight and be more fit if I just decided to make it happen, but maybe there's a layer down in my subconscious that says otherwise. Maybe I do have a fixed mindset in this area. Maybe somewhere inside I'm thinking I'll probably just fail again and that would be embarrassing (ok, I've had that thought many times!) so why bother trying. As long as I'm busy with kids and work and life, then I have an excuse to not try.

I was talking to my son last weekend about mindsets and he immediately decided he was a growth mindset because he loved to learn new things. I didn't argue with him, but as I thought about it over the next few days I realized that he likes to try new things as long as they are within his comfort zone. New computer apps, new books, new Lego projects, bring it on! New food? Nope! New extracurricular activities? Rarely. Even at school he often gets stuck and frustrated when the teacher asks him to do things differently than how he already knows. Maybe this is because he has a fixed mindset, at least in some areas. He has always been smart and everyone tells him so. Alan and I have been working hard on praising his efforts, not his brains, but he's heard us bragging about him through the years. Everyone else does too. Even his classmates constantly tell him how smart he is. We found a note from a classmate back in first grade that said "Happy Valentine's Day. You really know math. You are really smart." That's the translation anyway, from first grade spelling. :) Even back in first grade his friends were complementing his intelligence. So now when his teacher asks him to look at something differently, to try something in a different way then how he's comfortable with, he balks and refuses.

Tonight we were playing Spit (a card game) and I asked if we could play one-handed, the way the game is supposed to be played. He loves playing Spit and always plays two-handed. He's pretty good at it, but when I suggested one-handed he shut down. We talked about mindsets a bit again and he said he didn't want to try one-handed because he wouldn't be any good at it. We talked about what would happen in that case, which of course is nothing. I said it would be challenging for both of us, we would take the game a little slower, and we would both improve our skills. He ended up in tears and refused to play the game. It made me hurt to see him so stuck.

Dweck says, in her article,

"we found that students with the two mindsets had radically different beliefs about effort. Those with a growth mindset had a very straightforward (and correct) idea of effort -- the idea that the harder you work, the more your ability will grow and that even geniuses have had to work hard for their accomplishments. In contrast, the students with the fixed mindset believed that if you worked hard it meant that you didn't have ability, and that things would just come naturally to you if you did. This means that every time something is hard for them and requires effort, it's both a threat and a bind. If they work hard at it that means they aren't good at it, but if they don't work hard they won't do well. Clearly, since just about every worthwhile pursuit involves effort over a long period of time, this is potentially crippling belief, not only in school but also in life."

This idea saddens me, but also encourages me to read all the way to chapter eight where Dweck talks about how to change mindsets. For now my husband and I are (and have been for some time) working on the idea of praising behaviors, not abilities. The same applies to discipline/criticism as well. Comment on the behavior, not the person. This idea is popular in the parenting world, unrelated to mindsets, but it aptly applies to both. When you notice and comment on the effort a person puts into a project, instead of just the outcome, you are rewarding them for trying hard, not for being smart. That is the goal, continued growth and effort for all of us!

I start full time in kindergarten tomorrow and I have this idea in my mind. What words and behaviors do students exhibit for fixed and growth mindsets? As a teacher and a diagnostician, what signs should I be looking for to tell which mindset my students have. David Grant said in his UVEI presentation that the percentage of people of fixed versus growth mindsets is equal, so I should expect that of the students in my kindergarten class about half will have a fixed mindset and the other half will have a growth mindset. How can we tell, and, more importantly, how do we teach differently towards both sets? I will be observing my students with this in mind and, of course continue reading Dweck's book, chapter seven is aimed at parents, teachers, and coaches!

Understanding By Design

This week at UVEI we are learning unit design, based on the Understanding By Design (UbD) methodology, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The three step process involves:

1. Desired results:  What are your established goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, etc. 
2. Assessment:  How will you assess the learning?  What are your performance tasks and other evidence?
3. Learning Plan:  What activities will you do in class to achieve the desired results?  

For the past two days we've had David Grant, one of the original planners behind UbD, as a guest speaker.  We've talked a lot about how people learn, mindsets, facets of understanding, and much more.   In between the lecture components we are also working on designing our own units to, hopefully, be taught this term.  

I'm working on a social studies unit my mentor teacher called "people in the neighborhood."  It seemed pretty straightforward when she suggested it last week, but as I delve into the details I'm uncovering plenty of questions.  For starters, I quickly found myself using the word "community" instead of "neighborhood."  I'll have to discuss the difference with her tomorrow and see what she intended.  Also, "neighborhood" could be very tightly defined, such as the streets around my house, or more broadly defined, such as the general area we live in, or more generically defined, such as a typical neighborhood.  I'm not sure what she had in mind.  I've also heard a lot about "community helpers" and I'm wondering if that's what she had in mind.  Also, has she taught this lesson in the past or will it be a new lesson?  Many things on my mind.  Fortunately UVEI has given us tomorrow to go to our schools, meet the class, and discuss the unit plan with our new mentor teachers. 

I enjoyed Christmas vacation, but I'm excited to get back to it, to meet the kindergarteners I'll be spending the rest of the year with! 

A new year, a new school, a new grade

Happy 2014!

It's hard to believe I'm half way through the year. My time in 5th grade is over... for now. Tomorrow I start in kindergarten at a whole new school.

Over vacation I worked on writing assessments of my understandings of four of the ten competencies for UVEI. I chose to do Learner Development, Learning Environments, Content Knowledge, and Planning for Instruction. Most were straightforward enough, but the Content Knowledge was challenging for me. The assessments ask what I believed about the competency before starting the program, what I learned during the program and during my placement that supported or changed my beliefs, what evidence to I have to support my beliefs, and what are my plans for my next placement. Challenging questions, especially if you don't have strong beliefs in an area. However, I got them done and my faculty coach deemed me competent in each one. That was good to hear!

This upcoming week I'll be at UVEI, learning about unit design. My new mentor teacher suggested I plan a social studies unit on "people in the neighborhood." I'll have to check the relevant Common Core standards, which I'm sure will be an early step in the unit design at UVEI. I think it will be a fun topic and I've already found lots of inspiration on Pinterest! Reminding myself that the lesson goal has to come first, before the fun.

One of the biggest challenges in writing my assessments is trying to find expert quotes. I've read tons of books, articles, and blogs, but to be able to recall and find relevant quotes is difficult. Also, many of the books I've read have been library books, or books I owned but have since passed along. I have to write six more assessments by the end of the school year, so maybe I can come up with a system or something to make it easier the next time around.

So much information

There is an amazing amount of information out there. From Google to blogs to Pinterest and Facebook. In some ways it's just amazing. Anything and everything you've ever wanted to know about is out there, just a quick click away. In other ways... totally overwhelming! You can spend HOURS lost in the Internet. I was recently told I need to incorporate technology more into my lessons, not just using technology, but also having the students create with technology. Ok, can do. My mentor teacher does really cool projects. Unfortunately my mind has been a blank. Actually, not a total blank. I have one cool idea but I'm saving it for my solo week next month, as it will take a few days to complete. For single lessons though, involving cool uses of technology, there's nothing up there. So I spent the evening on the interwebs, trying to find inspiration. I found everything else, it seems, but no inspiration. Then I started to realize that the more I browsed, the less inspired I felt. Instead of being inspired, I'm just overwhelmed. There's so much out there!

Chris Jernstedt, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, spoke at UVEI a few weeks ago. When asked about note taking and how that helps or hinders learning, as part of his response he said that the novice takes copious notes because they don't know what to filter out, they don't know what is important and what is not. That has stuck with me and as I browsed the web tonight I realized that as a novice teacher I really don't know what to filter out either. Everything looks interesting, but not exactly what I need, and I can't easily scan things as I imagine a long-time teacher probably can.

Or maybe the fact that it's 11:30pm has something to do with it. Perhaps all this inspiration/overwhelmed-ness will percolate overnight and a great idea will come to me in the shower tomorrow! :)

Observations

This week I've been observing other classes and other schools. It's part of an assignment for UVEI, but also just a really interesting activity. When it was first mentioned last month I had no interest whatsoever. There was still so much to learn in my own classroom that the idea of going somewhere else just seemed silly. Now, however, two full months into my placement, I'm finding it fascinating to observe other classes.

So far I've seen three classrooms: a 5th and a 3rd at another school in our district, and a 4th at my school. Later in the week I'll be observing a 5th and a 6th at another school in another district. I love seeing the different ways the classrooms are arranged, what's on the walls, what projects the students are working on, what cues the teacher uses to get the students' attention, and so much more. Each teacher I've visited has been so kind and generous in sharing their room and their knowledge. I really love that about my teaching experience so far. I've heard of less than generous teachers, but I have yet to meet any!

Another thing I'm enjoying about this process is meeting and observing teachers who have come highly regarded. I asked teachers I know and respect for advice on who I should observe, so the teachers I'm visiting now are those who are highly respected by those I respect. I like to see if I can find similar teaching styles or other similarities. Some I've found and some I haven't.

So far I have been taking notes along the way and for my UVEI assignment this week I have to make a written reflection on this experience. I haven't even begun that process yet. The writing part, I suppose, the reflecting part is always going on in my head.

So much to learn. What an fascinating experience this has been so far.

What makes a good teacher?

One of my first projects for UVEI was to have a discussion with my class on "What makes a good teacher?"  Fifth graders sure do have a lot to say on that!

I asked the students to think for a minute about what is their idea of a good teacher. What does a good teacher do? How does a good teacher behave? I suggested they think of their past four years in school and what they liked or didn’t like about their teachers, though reminded them we were not discussing specific teachers. Then I asked them to discuss with their table mates and jot down a few ideas. I had them think about what makes a good teacher and what makes a so-so teacher. They went right to work and filled the pages with ideas, even requesting a few extra minutes to brainstorm.

 When everyone was ready I called their attention to the Smartboard in the front of the room for a group discussion and the ideas flowed. Some were quite specific, such as “Punish single people not the whole group,” others were more general, such as “no grouchiness,” and others were just downright silly, such as “let students use a British accent.” One girl in my class does an excellent British accent! My two favorite ideas that came up in the discussion were, “an honest teacher,” and “encourages you to try your hardest.”

A good teacher probably has good Smartboard handwriting as well.  
Clearly I'll have to work on that!

I really liked the think/pair/share process. It gives students a few minutes to gather their thoughts, to discuss in small groups and build confidence, then bring their refined ideas to the larger group. I'll definitely be using that process often.