Use of Assessment
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Use of Assessment

Today I gave my first quiz of the year. I haven’t even graded them yet, but already I am discouraged.  Every year, as I watch students get into the routine of going to school, I see assessments cause them so much stress at anxiety.  In some students, it causes them to lose sleep.  In more serious cases, it causes students to lose confidence—believing they are not “smart enough” to comprehend the materials.
I want to have every students feel success in my class–not the stress of conformity.  Later in the year, once they understand the formula of how to study for me and get into the routine of school, the stress decreases, but I always start the year wondering:


Instead of stress DECREASING how can I provide assessments that allow knowledge and creativity to INCREASE?  Where do grades that I assign fit into an authentic overview of a student as a learner?  How can I provide assessments that inspire students, rather than simply judging them?

Teachers–any tricks?  Students–any thoughts?
Please feel free to share below : )

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Class Debates

POWER HOUR DEBATE LESSON

This year we have been doing a big debate once a cycle or so.  I have really been enjoying them and feel like we are finally catching a good routine.  Here is the procedure we ended up with by the last section of the current debate (“The Ethics of Genetically Engineered Children”):

1)  A homework writing to get students thinking (in this case based on GATTACA)
2)  20 minutes for document review and to start constructing arguments for both sides.
3)  During those 20 minutes, teacher goes around and checks in with people about what side of the debate they would prefer to be on (no promises, but it worked out pretty even this time).
4)  The debate teams are assigned, along with a panel of 5 judges that sit in the front of the room.
5) Each team presents arguments for 3 minutes, rebuttal for 2 minutes and closing statement for 1 minute.
6) Judges deliberate and announce the winner

A busy hour, but great to fit such an engaging (for some/most) activity into 1 class!  A surprising change (suggested at the last minute by my co-teacher–thanks, Mr. Kimmel) was the difference in flipping the debate teams forward to face the judges, instead of having them face each other. Something I wish I had emphasized more is the importance of taking notes while the other team is talking.

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Student Engagement

A large percentage of the Hudson staff just returned from Educon, an excellent conference at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia that focuses on innovation in education. As a first time attendee, I was excited to visit several very inventive sessions around innovation and technology:

Conversation 1: Open Pedagogy/Dr. David Wiley (CoFounder of Lumen Learning)
Dr. Wiley’s talk focused on ways to use (and create) open source textbooks in the classroom.  His best piece of advice was to learn how to use Google Advanced Search:

Select the usage rights option “free to use, share or modify, even commercially” then type “your-subject-area textbook” or whatever text you are looking for.  I think this will bring some great online text-based resources into my classroom : )

Conversation 2: Unleashing Student Super Powers/Kristin Swanson & Hadley Ferguson
To be fair, this session moved rooms at the last minute and I thought I was attending a discussion of Common Core standards (something I figured out just now).  Instead of Common Core we discussed student superpowers, completed a role play game and designed a school bus using post its, plastic cups and paper clips.  The takeaway: activities are awesome.  Don’t talk at kids, let them DO it.

Conversation 3: The Right Tool for the Job: Promoting Student Choice/Kim Deveaux (Ethical Culture School)
This session was a good reminder that students can control their own learning through the use of technology.  Ethical Culture Fieldston School does an amazing job with online portfolios that track student mastery.  A little bit chic-chic private school, but an amazing job.

Conversation 4: Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse: Engaging All Learners/Gerald Aungst (Cheltenham)
The best thing we did in this session was make a foldable.  I remembered how much I LOVE foldables. I want to bring them back into the classroom ASAP. The one we did was a 4-section foldable with a definition, a section to agree, a section to disagree and a section to state your final word that I think could be really helpful in a debate protocol.

Miss, this is the BEST LAB EVER
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Miss, this is the BEST LAB EVER

The squid dissection rocks.  It is project-based, student-centered, hands-on, engaging and can be easily replaced or supplemented with an online alternative.  The students deepen their understanding of body systems and how different organs are connected to maintain homeostasis.  More importantly, I believe they feel in this lab more than any other lab in the year that they are Scientists–using important tools to conduct important work.  And its true!! The day is always an absolute pleasure (as long as the air freshener doesn’t run out).  Check out some pictures below.  Students, feel free to comment with your favorite part of the lab!!

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Time to relax

In the few weeks since Christmas break, I have been settling into a really nice routine with my students.  They have been doing lots of self-directed lab work (with online images, scaffolds and videos to guide them).  The atmosphere in class feels mature and productive.  It has been wonderful to relax into the middle of the year, with everyone well-rested from the Christmas vacations.  It is times like these I remember that when you trust and value your students, they return the sentiment. Everyone’s productivity looks different and we are in a unit (Body Systems) that allows students to be unique, creative and individualistic.

It doesn’t hurt that they got to do their first dissection last week, either ; )

Pictures to follow soon!

Best,
Ms. Schley