Students Appreciate Meaningful Feedback

Students often ask about grades:

“Is this graded? How much is this worth?”

I readily reply, “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” they say.

“Will you do better work and learn more?”

“Yes,” they often respond.

“Then your work is graded.”

I don’t like grades.

Does that assessment show they really know 90% of that topic? Does a conglomeration of grades averaged together actually show how well they understand.

This year I’ve had several serious conversations about eliminating grades with my students. They agree that it would be better - though, despite my clarification, I think some still don’t realize it does not mean the absence of learning and struggling with content.  (The big concern for some is getting into a good college. They are seventh graders! So much pressure they are putting on themselves.)

These conversations and my thoughts about grading led me to read Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School by Starr Sackstein.

A quick and practical read, Hacking Assessment offers tips to help you go gradeless. I’m not there yet, but it gave me lots to chew on and some things I could try right away.

When assessing, I had already removed a grade equivalent on rubrics, instead indicating level of mastery. I also had stopped indicating a grade on student work. They would have to look at the online grading portal to see that. I wanted students to focus on their work, their learning, and my feedback.

Sackstein discusses feedback in Hacking Assessment.  She references work by  Aric Foster and Mark Barnes around detaching the assessor from assessment:

The process taken during assessment is to “merely record what I see, how the work does or does not address standards, resources to pursue to amend areas of concern, and a new plan for resubmitting the work. My goals are to keep my comments as objective as possible,....while not judging harshly or praising superfluously.”

As a start, I latched on to the idea of providing feedback in the form of “I see” and “I don’t see,” referencing the standards and expectations. For example:

• I see you have two specific examples to support your first reason.
• I do not see effective use of transitions.

I found that this focused effort on feedback detached me more from the process of assessment.  I also found that it was more efficient and quicker to provide feedback in this manner. I was not longer riddling the students’ work with comments. Instead, it was a more global look at their overall work as related to the standards, expectations, and rubric.

I was pleased with my efforts, pleased at the ease of giving feedback in this manner, and hopeful the students would find it useful. So, after the students experienced this method of feedback, I felt compelled to ask them what they thought of it.

Their experience was literally 100% positive. Here are some comments:

• I like this feedback because it showed us what we clearly did or didn’t do.  When it's just the rubric it tells us a list of things we could have done wrong, while this was clear.  It made it easier to improve because we know what to fix.
• I like this style of feedback because I can figure out exactly what I did wrong and how I would be able to get there. Knowing exactly what I did wrong lets me know what I’m supposed to do to meet exemplary.
• I liked the way you presented feedback because it helped me realize the things that are good in my writing and the things that I can work on.  Now I know some things I do should stay the same and some things I can change to make my writing a solid piece.
• I did like this type of feedback because it is very straightforward and explicit.  This helps me better understand what I didn’t and did do well on.

I am going to continue this method of feedback as students are completing work and when they are finished.  I hope to incorporate other aspects of Barnes’ work such as providing resources and actions to encourage improvement and providing specific focus areas to resubmit (rather than the entire piece).

These efforts should help move me toward a gradeless classroom that focuses on rich feedback, growth, and learning and is student centered. Students will probably react favorably even if parents initially may respond negatively and administrators may be reluctant.

I look forward to this next phase of my journey.

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If you are going gradeless or revamping how you give feedback, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.

An Inspirational Circus

“Some people don't learn things as easily, and they struggle. We need to reach out to them, so they'll belief in themselves.”

“We should treat other people with kindness because some people are struggling with things we don't know.”

I love The Butterfly Circus.

I shared with students this favorite short film of mine the other day - as I have for several years. Above are just two of the insights they shared afterwards.

(You can watch The Butterfly Circus here.)

For 20 minutes the students are totally - completely - absorbed by the film. They laugh at the right times, they gasp at the right times, and some get teary eyed. It tests them from the get-go, tugs at their heart strings, and opens their eyes.

Some powerful lines from The Butterfly Circus are:

• There is nothing inspiring about a man's imperfections on display.
• If you could only see the beauty that comes from the ashes.
• The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph.

These provide a great launch for discussion. I also have students reflect on being left to struggle in overcoming obstacles and about how to best help those who are struggling to fit in.

The conversation is rich, dynamic, engaging. And the students gain from exposing themselves or hearing others expose themselves during it.

This day at the circus is powerful and always a favorite one of mine. Reference to The Butterfly Circus will continue for the remainder of the year. We may not feel like beautiful butterflies….but never doubt that we are working towards it.

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If you value a certain inspirational video or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.

Reaching Out to New Colleagues During Teacher Appreciation Week

This week has been Teacher Appreciation Week. Earlier in the week I encouraged teachers to reach out to new colleagues at their schools to show them some extra support. This lead me to reflect and to compose the following note to a new colleague of mine:

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As I reflect on Teacher Appreciation Week, I think back to all that I have experienced in my career and especially think about my beginning years of teaching.  So, I wanted to share, with you, some of my observations.

I like to describe teaching as a sprint.  The pace is tiring and relentless.  But it is more than that….it is a sprint while you are trying to change your clothes.  There can be so many things happening at once that the simple can become much more complex than it should be.

The joys of teaching are easily appreciated, but also, appreciate the trials of teaching.  I have learned from both and have grown from both.

This challenging adventure will present to you students who give you a hard time for no reason.  One year the first thing a student said to me when he was in my class was, “I heard you were evil.”  He didn’t much relent the whole year.  There will be students who groan at the content you’re teaching or the methods you choose or the partners you pair them with.  You will experience administrator’s with unclear expectations and unrealistic expectations.  And the parents.  Some will claim that grades are not important but always harp on the grades.  Some claim their child has always been an “A” student, when the first time they got letter grades was in sixth grade.  Some actually believe their child does not lie or have misperceptions.  And you will experience your fair share of the negative and probably already have.

Despite all this, however, the benefits and pleasure of teaching far outweigh the negative.  You will find exhilaration in seeing students learn and do things they didn’t feel was possible.  You’ll see students stretch themselves and open their eyes.  I once had a student comment to me after working in a group.  She indicated that, prior to working in the group with one particular student, she didn’t like that student.  She admitted to me, afterwards, that the student was nice and smarter than she thought.  Another student, once she was several years in high school, said to me, “I get it now! I understand why you always answered our questions with questions.”  And she thanked me for stretching her mind.  I’ve beamed with pride when my students have taken on challenges like National History Day and interviewed Presidential candidates and Nuremberg Trials prosecutors. Your experience will be filled with much of the same.

Also, never forget, that the students appreciate when you show them you are human.  Middle school students are fun and they want to know that you laugh….and cry.  They will listen when you make an important point - just say it the correct way.  They know when something is important and will read your cues.  The greatest lessons I have had with students have not been about content or skills.  No. Instead they are lessons about being human...how we treat each other...how we can make the world better for others.  They want to make a positive impact on the world and empowered to realize they have the capabilities to do so.  By examining the Holocaust, child slavery in Asia, or other topics, I have seen that our students are called to stories of the human spirit.  They will be touched.  They want to be touched.  And will respond in kind.

Relationships have been the key to thriving in my capacity as a teacher.  Connecting with different students in a variety of ways will encourage students to achieve and not “let the teacher down.”  They all have that strong desire to fit in, and the teacher has great power to ensure that they have a place to fit.  Connections to your colleagues will also buoy your efforts.  When in need of assistance, advice, or support, my colleagues have always been there for me.  Sure there will be the naysayers who grumble about almost everything and the ones who don’t seem invested in the school.  But ignore them and focus on those with positive energy.  Those are the people who have given me the courage to take risks, who have encouraged my own innovation, and who have lifted me through the more difficult times.  

The people we work with are the foundation of the school, the engine of the school.  The teachers will be in the building longer than the students.  The teachers outlast most administrators.  They are learning’s lifeblood.  The teachers are the driving force behind the students’ learning experience.  They are what can make a school great.  I remember Sally Dunn and Laurel Williams who helped guide me my first year and encouraging me to take risks.  Chris Cleverdon helped encourage my foray into National History Day and mock trials.  Sharon Jackson complemented my interest in utilizing technology in the classroom.  Pam Moore helped me view education and students in an entirely different manner. Kim Nadreau not only reminds me that kindness is not weakness but also reminds me that I need to be aware of my own needs and that the struggles I face are temporary and for a reason.

Inspirational speaker Nick Vujicic has said, “The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph.”  You will have, as I have had, your share of struggles throughout your career, but, by way of your efforts to continuously improve, you will triumph.

Remember that with your passionate efforts, you will succeed. Remember, too, that we - your colleagues - have your back whenever you need it.  We can all get better together.

As you are beginning your teaching journey, I wish you continued luck, inspirational moments with your students, invigorating moments with your colleagues, and great triumphs.

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If you have been appreciated this week for your efforts teaching, if you appreciate a teacher, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.

Getting Students Engaged with Literature via Commericials

Wanting to help out my team's ELA with the students practicing some literary analysis, I turned to Jon Corippo's Lit Circles: Rebooted for the 4 C's and Common Core. (See his slide share here.)

Corippo's approach focuses on short, engaging bursts of student activities and repetition.  He encourages giving a time limit to students to make it like a game show and get their positive adrenaline pumping. Collaboration is also encouraged. With his lit circles approach he starts small and works toward student choice of reading material.

So, taking his lead, I started small like he suggests - with commercials. He uses those for the short bursts, to engage students, and to get in many repetitions so students can get more and more comfortable with their literacy skills.

His lit circles structure looks at four components: summarizing, conflict, characterization, and wishes (Wishes requires students to analyze and predict and to justify their responses, providing the ever-important "why".). You could change the components to stress skills you want your students to hone.

Different types of conflict for students to consider are presented in the 
Google Drawing. (SmartBoard tells students which block to work on
 based on where they sit in the group.)

I provided students with an overview and directions for each component.  I decided each student would work on each component - you could structure that in different ways and organize small group conversations, but I wanted the group to see each others' work to expose them to others' ideas and have conversations as they did the work.  So, I made a Google Drawing for each component.  Students made copies, shared, and began their work. 

But not until they started laughing while watching the commercial, of course.

I chose to use the Hyundai Kids Football commercial that aired during a Super Bowl. (You can see it here.)

Students were easily and quickly engaged.  

As we talked about their work, they needed some tweaks here and there, but, hey, that's what practice is for. Overall, the task was accessible to a wide range of students, and the commercial made it seem far less like work.

I have since had them practice with the original Geico caveman commercial and the Doritos dog commercial from the 2016 Super Bowl.  Both successfully engaged the students and had them practicing their literary analysis skills. It was also so easy to extend their thinking during discussion about concepts such as inciting incident and climax.

As the students got familiar with the format, they were able to complete the components more quickly, more accurately, and more insightfully.  Practice allowed them to push their thinking more.

This approach is definitely one I will share with the ELA teachers in the building. It is engaging and flexible and allows students to practice essential skills - while having some fun, too!

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If you have had success engaging students in literary analysis, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing from you.