Engaging All Learners

Engaging All Learners
Studio Day April 2019

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

EdCamp at HTMS

Monday afternoon HTMS teachers participated in an EdCamp focused on Learning Targets.  The teachers shared information in small groups with colleagues.  According to Mrs. Berry, this may have been the most effective professional learning to occur at HTMS this year.  Afterwards, she asked teachers to respond to two simple questions: What is something you learned today?  What is something you'll implement?  Read the comments from the staff that show their genuine engagement and profound learning.

I learned about and will implement learning target trackers for benchmark tests.
I learned about creating student learning groups where students help each other work through trouble spots in their learning.  Brandon and Corinth also shared some great, inexpensive motivators for students.  
A book title I will read
More talk about growth after tests and data discussions 
Have students discuss with partner the learning target and be ready to tell what their partner said. This makes the students focus more on listening to their partner. 
Posting a QQ based off of LT in class and putting it on a test. Our department discussed doing this in the future. A QQ that requires the student to explain in a sentence or possibly paragraph form. A way to incorporate literacy standards in math! 
More small groups for strugglers 
I learned a great tip of asking the students to discuss the topic of the lesson for a couple minutes.  Then using your equity technique to call on a student. Instead of asking them what they thought ask them what their partner thought. This keeps them from just coming off the cuff since they just spoke to the other classmate. 
I loved how the 8th grade SS teachers created a blank document for the students to fill in their current learning target.  I think we are going to do this for our final nine weeks- holding the students accountable.  #ownit
I’ve been rolling ideas around about a project based unit in the 4th nine weeks about Biodiversity.  And I think using a quality question as the driving force and having it all on the LTT.  Have students include evidence of why they rated themselves.  Maybe include assessments or benchmark questions for each learning target.
7th grade English- including evidence, benchmark based LTT
I learned that students can create their own "live" binder. It holds them to a higher level of owning their learning.
I want to investigate further how we as a math team could potentially have the students create their own live binder.
I can do digital learning target trackers in order to save copies 
Importance of following up on quality question and letting that be the end of unit essay question... I hope to use that! Thanks!  
I learned that I wish my children had Erin as a teacher. Possibly use the train of thought that Bartley Brown uses as having unit qq and targets but break it up into individual learning daily targets. 
I liked how 7th grade math has students keep the learning target tracker in their binder and also that they turn it in so that they take it seriously. 
I heard lots of new things yesterday, but my favorite was in 6th grade math when they talked about using the throw-back targets to review old skills and "blasts from the past" on tests.  I'll definitely use those sporadically in upcoming lessons.  I'll have to think through a way to be creative about it, though, because many of my students didn't have me for the first semester for those original learning targets.
Something that would be beneficial for special education was the way band utilizes small groups and is able to motivate their students with silly rewards.
I loved how the 6th grade math department has them write the LTs AND give them a hand out of all the LTs for the summative assessment so they can see what they will be learning. 
I enjoyed Brandon and Corinth's session.  I would like to implement something like the emoji chart.
I attended the session with 7th grade English on Student discourse.  It was great to see how intentional they were with their targets, and the student evaluation piece.  They had put together a target tracker for their 2nd 9 weeks benchmark assessment.  The tracker had students evaluating each question on the assessment and allowed them to reflect on whether or not they mastered the material.  This is something we will start to implement in 8th grade science.
My 2 favorite take-aways from yesterday...
* A sheet to write each LT daily and to immediately self-evaluate *Some great questions to use for student discourse related to the LT
-How does this (whatever we are doing) connect to our LT?
-What are other LTs that are related to this one?
-What is our goal today?
Ask students, with their eyes closed, to rate themselves by show of hands on LT mastery: struggling, OK, or expert.
I loved the idea of formatting learning target trackers with each unit (instead of just a continuous sheet of LTs). 8th grade social studies gave great information for providing umbrella QQs, standards covered, and general information for the upcoming unit. It allows students to see the "big picture" so that they can begin with the end in mind. 
I learned...important for students to track progress on each test, not just the benchmark.
Something to implement... LT's trackers for each unit covered to turn in with test. #ownit
I learned how QQ are based off of the LT. The QQ stem from what we want students to know. QQ can have multiple layers in one question!
I loved the idea of the target tracker being large, up in the room and allowing students to mark it at any time during the unit.
I will implement the idea of having them think through their targets with their eyes closed.
We are also doing an emoji activity on Monday that we will incorporate some of what was said.
Various examples of student Learning Target Trackers using I Can statements.
7th grade math shared a target tracker page each student fills in at intervals across a unit.  Jennifer B. shared an idea about using her Fitbit to cue her privately for the last few minutes of class to reflect upon the learning target -- genius.
Something you learned today – I learned that student input and perception is important
Something you'll implement – I will have the students write the learning targets in their journals.
I really enjoyed the Quality Question PD.  I learned that it is ok to have a QQ that is for the entire unit.  It also, needs to encompass all the standards.  I want to really work on our QQ for 6th grade social studies to encompass all parts of the standards we are teaching.
I learned that silly prizes can be good motivational tools for students. I plan to start using some type of prize for good behavior.
Stay with the "Check off" list that is in the Learning Target Tracker.  I got away from doing this because students were not really very forthcoming...they were all "experts".  Those teachers that have stayed with this said it gets better...students will eventually take ownership of their progress.  I am going to go back to being more intentional with this! 
I learned a really great way for students to evaluate their own learning. I loved the way Erin, Brandon and Corinth shared experiences of how their target trackers are working.... it can work for everyone. 
I learned that an option for quality questioning is to have one or two quality questions for an entire unit, and to guide students throughout the unit towards being able to write about/answer an essay question on a test directly related the unit QQ.
I will implement more student discourse about learning targets.  I'm doing a good job of presenting them and having students write them and reflect on them, but having the students talk about the learning targets is lacking in my classroom, and I learned some good ways to facilitate more discourse among students.
What I learned - When students are giving the opportunity to assess their learning, they have a better perception of how well prepared they are for summative assessments.
What I will implement - Self assessment prior (day before) to the Summative assessment followed immediately with an analysis of their assessment.










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