My Squirrelly View of Education

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I am a huge fan of summer vacation. Lots of time for me to read what I want, enjoy the peace a quiet of home, bother the son and the husband…. well, you get the ideas. I always begin the summer with all sorts of ideas of what I want to get done. This usually includes one or more home improvement projects and a desire to actually exercise and lose some weight.  Along with these personal desires, I always want to plan ahead for the next school year.  Ahhh…June is so filled with possibilities.

Come Labor Day, I look back and realize that while I started out with enthusiasm, I gave in to my ADHD and only accomplished what had my attention at the moment. I ignored most of what I had set out to do.  This summer, I once again vowed that the summer of 2009 would be different, but I had no real plan of action; I just had determination.  Then one of the members of my Twitter PLN came (albeit unknowingly) to my rescue.

Clif Mims (@clifmims) developed the following meme and posted it to his blog. I decided to participate and tag a few lucky folks to join me.  Clif notes that you don’t have to be tagged to participate, so I encourage you to do so.

Professional Development Meme 2009

Directions

Summer can be a great time for professional development. It is an opportunity to learn more about a topic, read a particular work or the works of a particular author, beef up an existing unit of instruction, advance one’s technical skills, work on that advanced degree or certification, pick up a new hobby, and finish many of the other items on our ever-growing To Do Lists. Let’s make Summer 2009 a time when we actually get to accomplish a few of those things and enjoy the thrill of marking them off our lists.

The Rules

NOTE: You do NOT have to wait to be tagged to participate in this meme.

1. Pick 1-3 professional development goals and commit to achieving them this summer.
2. For the purposes of this activity the end of summer will be Labor Day (09/07/09).
3. Post the above directions along with your 1-3 goals on your blog.
4. Title your post Professional Development Meme 2009 and link back/trackback to http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/2447.
5. Use the following tag/ keyword/ category on your post: pdmeme09.
6. Tag 5-8 others to participate in the meme.
7. Achieve your goals and “develop professionally.”
8. Commit to sharing your results on your blog during early or mid-September.

My Goals

1. Become a PBworks Certified Educator by attending PBworks Summer Camp. (FYI -PBworks used to know as PBwiki.)

2. Read, study and implement the strategies discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works by Harold Pitler, et al.

3. Rework my 9th, 10th and 11th grade English classes (using the Michigan Merit Curriculum/Macomb Units) to include technology so that this college prep curriculum is accessible and meaningful to my resource room students.

4. Develop the following tech skills: screencasting, using my digital video recorder, and podcasting.

Cover via Amazon

5. Participate in a online book study of: Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott

In addition, I also want to read the following books this summer:

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson

Teaching Writing Using Blogs, Wikis, and other Digital Tools by Richard Beach, et al.

Web Literacy for Educators by Alan C. November

Cover via Amazon

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson

I know it sounds like a lot, but I am a fast reader.

Tag Your It:

I tag the following people

Joe Wood Burt Lo Jim Dornberg Linda Clinton

Deven Black Ira Socol Cathie Wigent Lisa Flanders Dick

Now it’s on to some summertime learnin’

Karen Jankowski’s April 3rd 2009 post Reaching for the Brass Ring…..of Independence, advances the proposition that it is time to end the war between the remediation and accommodation camps in special education and make Universal Design Principles ubiquitous in order to foster independence.

It is time to end the remediation vs. compensation battle and declare a truce. The emphasis on remediation at the expense of accommodation must stop. Instead, remediation

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MUST be COMBINED with compensation to accommodate for learning challenges if our students are to feel a sense of competence, mastery and independence.

This is what I have always believed and wanted to  practice in my classroom. Independence should be our ultimate goal. However, we will not be accomplish this unless education policymakers have to be brought into the fold. In the great debate over raising standards for all students, policy makers overlook the needs of our students.

In the push to turn the Michigan workforce from a blue collar industrial one to a high tech one, our legislators in their infinite wisdom forced a new state curriculum and high school exam upon us. Now In Michigan high schools we now have to teach a college prep curriculum to all students regardless of disability and/or career plans. This includes the requirement that all students (emphasis on the “all”) Algebra II for all students. The Michigan Merit Exam begins with all but the most impaired students taking the ACT, a college placement exam. Accommodations can be given only if the company that produces the ACT approves regardless of what a student’s IEP says.  To further muddy the waters, this test is what is used to determine AYP and accreditation. Pressure is now on districts to make sure that students receive the content needed to at least get an adequate score on this test.

While I applaud their intent to raise standards, I question their methods.

As Special Educators we are forced to accommodate and provide content at expensive of working on deficit areas. Yes, our goals are still suppose to reflect the deficit, but in reality there is no time to do both with the pressures of the state curriculum. Co-teaching has become the preferred way to deliver content. Few schools have spent the time or the PD to make co-teaching work. It has become the General Ed teachers grade the Gen Ed kids. The Special Ed teacher just grades the same assignments to a different standard. True collaboration doesn’t occur in this forced co-teaching environment.

As I see it, everyone in the process needs to, so Karen so eloquently states,

Understand that students learn differently, that a one-size-fits all approach does NOT work.

We need the time and the support of our administrators, legislators, and State Department to effectively apply Universal Design Principles to this curriculum. Co-teaching can be effective if all parties participate in developing appropriate classroom activities that ensure learning for all.

I implore our state Department of Education to poor money and time into making this curriculum work for our special education students, rather than spending time and money on the minutia of correctly completed paperwork. Please make this curriculum accessible enough so that our students just don’t give up and leave school.

For now, my colleagues and I will do what  we can to get our kids to graduation. We do need a paradigm shift but it needs to begin at the very top with our legistlature and the State Department of Education.

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My third period class of LD sophomores and I have been having an ongoing discussion about computers in the classroom. Their thoughts have cemented the use of integrated technology into my Resource Room English classes.

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After I discovered (by listening to Wes Fryer, Rodd Lucier, and Ed Tech Talk) all of the different tools on the web that I could leverage for my Resource Room Students, I jumped right in. After some groveling on my part I managed to get 10 laptops for 6 weeks before Thanksgiving. We used Google Docs daily for writing. I had them start using SpokenText.net for editing. I developed a wiki. We worked on Creative Commons. Discussed online ethics and appropriate behavior.  They liked trying out all of this “new” stuff. (This trimester I added blogs to the mix. )

I noticed that the student’s quantity of writing improved. I also noticed that if I collaborated with them, they would actually edit and proof their work.  While I was glad to see this, I didn’t know if I had a convincing enough argument to get us full-time access to laptops.  After yesterday, I think I do.

We are working on a Unit 4 of the Michigan Merit Curriculum. This unit’s focus is on “The American Dream.” We began class by defining the term and reading three different essays about the American Dream. I used Google Docs to take notes. They were amazing articulate in their understanding of what the American Dream was and how it changed.

From there we segued to the concept of “work ethic” and how native born Americans don’t want to work as hard as immigrants. This naturally flowed into school and how it hasn’t changed much since I was in high school in the 1970s.  This group knew that they needed to learn new and different skills than what their parents had learned in school. The world was different and schools weren’t keeping up. Schools as they currently exist weren’t going to help them achieve the new scaled down American Dream.

Then amazing things began to happen. (Note: This is a Resource Room class for LD kids, so I only have 6 in this hour.)

JW, a smart aleck with great reasoning skills, said: “School is so boring. You are the only one teaching us things we need to know.” I was flabbergasted. Surely, we  were teaching them the skills that they’d need to succeed. I didn’t know what to say. 

AP, insightful but real learning problems jumped in. “Mrs. Chi, you are the only one who is actually teaching us how to use computers. All we learned in Computer Applications (the required computer class) was to type.”

CB, a very outspoken girl with some reasoning difficulties, had to have her say. “All we use computers in other classes for is to write papers and copy stuff from the Internet.”

DM, a bright kid with major attendance problems, added, “I am amazed at how much more I can write. I never wrote more than a sentence or two. Now I write paragraphs.”

Others agreed with him. A couple of the others mentioned that they had only used computers to play games or listen to music until now.

They all agreed that they thought they were actually learning how to “really use” technology. A couple of kids mentioned they liked that they could access their work from the public library or from home if they were absent or if they didn’t finish in class. These were tangible benefits they they could see to tech use.

JW even admitted that he hated computers and wanted nothing to do with them before my class. Now he was even using his Google Docs account for his other classes. “Hope that’s okay , Mrs. Chi.”

I was so pleased. This direct transfer of knowledge to another setting. He was applying what he had learned. I walked on clouds the rest of the day.

They got it. These “at-risk, special education” teens got it. Some were not digital natives, but once given the opportunity to really use the resources available to them, they saw the power of the web. They understood that they could do what other kids could do. They had opinions. They could express them. They mattered.

The Denny’s Free Food incident spawned a blog assignment (more about this in my next entry). This assignment asked them to critically look at readers’ comments to a local newspaper article. The kids were amazing. The discussions we had surrounding what was and what was not appropriate validated everything I had been trying to get across to them.  They began to see that what someone writes matters. They were outraged by how the commentators represented themselves, their town, and their school. I can’t wait to read their posts. (They asked me to wait, because they needed more time to read and respond. I never expected this.)

So I am now completely sold on the power of the internet and other technology to level the playing field for all kids. Every class should use technology to enhance learning.  Education as we know it needs to change. The kids know it. I hope our government and educational policy makers figure this out soon.

In my pre-web 2.0 world Professional Development (PD) could be basically be broken down into three categories:

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• Local Professional Development:

A boring sage-on-the-stage, supposedly “inspirational,” district inservice. My main accomplishment was getting lots of papers graded.

• Countywide Professional Development Day:

More conference like. Some years great, some years terrible. I got many papers graded.

• Conferences:

If I wanted to go, I’d have to pay my own way. Also, time away from class not necessarily approved if district didn’t think attendance “fit” with their PD plan.

None of these had much impact on what went on in my classroom. Sadly, I lost interest in gaining inspiration and new ideas for my teaching. I began to do just what my administrator and the state told me to do. My teaching suffered. I couldn’t wait to retire, but I still have 12 years to go. I was becoming the type of teacher that I despised. My love of teaching waned. I learned the technology and programs the school said I hadto and figured out ways to use these for my personal benefit, but that was it.

I became more and more frustrated with the politics of education. NCLB and the State of Michigan no longer seemed to care about anything other than test scores. They had lost the focus on the student. Flexibility gone. Creativity gone. Teach the “programmed” curriculum. My learning disabled students were left to struggle through curriculum that was (and still is) not appropriate for them. I locked myself away from other teachers to avoid the politics. I just wanted to be left alone in my classroom. I was suffering from burn out. I knew something had to change or I might as well quit and go do else.

Then a miracle occurred. I discovered iTunes, podcasts, and Wesley Fryer. I started listening to Wes’s Moving at the Speed of Creativity podcasts. As soon as I began listening, my world began to change. Wes inspired

Image by Wesley Fryer via Flickr

me to do more. He inspired me to start using technology as something other than a replacement for the typewriter. I began to think and care again. Ideas started sprouting. I began to figure out what I needed to do to become the teacher I wanted to be. The joy of teaching returned. (I hope Wes understands how much he’s improved my teaching and my life. Thanks Wes. Okay, enough with the fangirl stuff.)

I began to seek out more and more resources. I took charge of by PD for the first time in my almost 30 years in education.

I started using my twice a day 40 minute commute to learn from a number of wonderful educators. I’ve become so addicted to my PD in my car. I actually missed commuting over the Christmas break. I just wanted time alone in my car to learn. It has been a long time since I wanted to learn new things. (When I become passionate about something I develop an obsession-like focus. I must master whatever I am doing. It’s been years since that focus was my teaching. Now if the Special Ed paperwork would go away, my world would be idyllic.)

I started signing up for PD opportunities that were offered through the Monroe County Intermediate School District (MCISD), signing up for just about anything that Jim Dornberg presented. He mentioned this 23 Things class to me and I quickly signed up. I didn’t need the carrot of 20 PD hours, but is was a very nice bonus. I just wanted to know more!

This year when the Countywide PD Program arrived in my inbox, I quickly chose to attend Leslie Fisher’s gadgets session. (I’ve always loved gadgets.) In that session she formally introduced me to Twitter and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) that thrives there. I was hooked. During that session, I met Cheryl Lykowski (on Twitter she’s @clykowski) another Monroe County educator and I began to follow her. I also stared following Jim (@jdornberg on Twitter). From there my PLC has exploded. Twitter is an amazing resource to help locate some of the best resources on the web.

So this is my new definition of professional development:

Web 2.0 PD is a personal, flexible way to invigorate both teaching and learning. The learner controls what is learned, when it’s learned, and where it’s learned.

This definition is what I have adopted as my personal philosophy for my own, ongoing PD.

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(What follows is part of the Thing 22 assignment. This stuff didn’t really fit the the rest of the post.)

The main disadvantage is that there is so much material available that it can be difficult to locate and determine the most effective personal development plan. Carefully selecting your colleagues for your PLC is probably the best way to go about this.

As for future PD Offerings: I would love see another class like this offered through the ISD. I found it very helpful. The only thing I would change is to allow the end date to be more open ended. A few of the people taking this class dropped out because they ran out of time. Maybe this could be an continually ongoing PD opportunity.

Also I would think that offerings on each of these and other specific web 2.0 topics (Jim – like those on your Google Doc), would be another way to go. I would love an entire day devoted to face-to-face web 2.0 networking would be great.

Bringing Wesley Fryer in for the Countywide Inservice would be fantastic.

Now on to Thing 23

I just want to scream. I received this directive in an email from my special ed director.

I called the State Department regarding the appropriate way to write Annual Goals on the IEP. Here’s a Quote from above,” The IEP team should always focus on student needs, not grade level:”DO NOT SET GOALS FOR A GRADE LEVEL TO INCREASE TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL”.

A couple of questions that come to mind.

First, what does this mean? Does it mean this goal, “Suzy will raise her reading level by one grade level as measured on the (insert name of test here) by her next annual IEP,” Is no longer acceptable. Does it mean a goal like this: Suzy will master the writing skills necessary to earn her 9th grade English Credit ? Does it mean a goal like Suzy will earn 7.5 credits so that she will advance to the 10th grade? I should note that we’re are not to allowed to use check off goals. We have to write new ones every year.

Second, we have been continually told that all goals must be concrete and measurable, so now what do we use?

Finally, given the new Michigan Merit Curriculum in which all students are suppose to master the same material regardless of disability, what are high school special education teachers suppose to base their goals on? We no longer have the luxury of being able to re mediate anything. All we do is accommodate.

It seems the State of Michigan has lost touch with the needs of Special Education students. I am so frustrated. My department is meeting with the director will this afternoon. Somehow I doubt she’ll be able to clarify this further.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I’ll keep you posted.

Update: I was right. She couldn’t really explain it. It appears that we can’t use any of my sample goals. We are suppose to be vague, just show “reasonable progress” in the courses we teach. If we don’t have a student in a direct instruction class, we don’t have to document progress. This makes no sense.

One of my favorite bloggers and podcasters is Joe Wood, a middle school science teacher who loves Web 2.0 and struggles with the most effective ways to use this technology in his classes. I really like that he doesn’t have all of the answers. Through his attempts at using technology to become a more effective teacher, he has inspired me, a graying, old veteran of the classroom, to reinvent my classes (Oops, my inner fangirl tendencies slipped through.)

On his blog, Joe Wood Online, Joe posted the following:

Have you ever asked your students why they think they’re attending school? Try it. You’ll get some interesting answers. Yesterday I posed this question to one of my classes, curious what their responses might be. I found my students had great scripted answers, such as “to get an education” or “to make my parents proud.” I even received a few “because its the law.” Interestingly though, as we dug deeper into these responses few students could explain why attending school today is important to their future goals.

I thought about this and posted some thoughts as comments to his post. I also asked my students to blog about this (Mrs. Chi’s Classroom Blogs). Not all responded, but most did. Their unedited responses are posted on their individual blogs. Please read their thoughts if you are interested, but I digress.

I’m not sure that most teachers could answer that same question with more than the same well rehearsed answers. I am sure that each of us believes that we are giving each student what he/she needs to live a successful adult life. We “prepare” them for the future. In my case I also add that I help them develop the skills they need to work around whatever challenges they might face along the way.

As I read that back I think that sounds a little bit pompous. As teachers do we really prepare them? Is everything we present in class really needed in the “real world?” Can we clearly explain to yourselves, colleagues, parents and students how our course content will apply to each individual student’s future? I am not sure that I can.

In this day of high stakes testing, most of the content that we teach, we teach because it is on the state test. Assessment is our reason. I find this to be very sad.

I agree that every student should be able to read, write, and calculate at the level necessary to succeed in their chosen post-secondary training/education programs and in their chosen professions. My emphasis here is on the individual student. While all students will need some additional training/education after high school, not every single student will need (or want) to attend a four year university, nor do I believe that society wants them to do that either.

We still need auto mechanics, millwrights, chefs, merchants, construction workers, and computer hardware specialists. We still want actors, artists, and athletes. So I ask the question, “Do all of these professions require the same preparation?” Clearly, the answer is “no.”

In Michigan, all students (regardless of disability, gifts, or career goals) are required to take Algebra II, Chemistry or Physics, and a Foreign Language. Also the major increase in the required courses severely limits the amount of time a student has to take auto shop or band. While a applaude the state’s desire to make our workforce the most highly qualified worforce in the nation, I don’t think this rigid curriculum is the best way to go about it.

To be fair, there are provisions for Algebra II content to be taught in industrial arts classes in an applied fashion. The parents of a general education student can request that their student can be placed on a “rigorous” personal curriculum after the student has failed the first semester of Algebra II. This will be after the first semester of a student’s junior year. Seems to me that we’re setting these kids up for failure.

The most important thing that we can give our students is the love of learning. Forcing them to take courses that they can barely pass doesn’t do this. Where in this curriculum is there time for students to gain the love of life long learning when they can’t specialize in areas of interest? I got into education to help each of my students reach his or her potential and goals. Since “the test” trumps everything else, it seems to me that we have lost sight of the student as a learner; they are just test scores.

Is it any wonder that given this environment that our students can’t see any other reason to attend school than “It’s required by law?”

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Why does a student refuse to take an  exam if he/she doesn’t get his/her way ? I just a a student refuse to try to do her exam after I surprised the class and allowed them to use their vocabulary books. I hadn’t even hinted that this was a possibility, so she didn’t have any right to expect this.  The only restriction I placed on the students was that the books had to be with them.   She came up to me and demanded that I return her book to her.  When I told her that I had given it to her earlier in the week to complete, she said that I still had her book. She totally denied any responsiibility for not having the book. So she just refused and left class.  The irony is that she would have easily passed the exam.

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