Book Recommendation for English and Reading Teachers

By Kim Miklusak

For a while now people have been recommending the books Book Love by Penny Kittle and The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller to me as I continue to work through the purpose of reading in our classrooms and, more specifically, how we implement independent reading.  For those of you in the same situation, I can't stress to you enough that you should pick up both books now and buy some copies for your friends.

What I appreciated about these books was how much they stress the disconnect between our goals of reading and what we implement in the classroom.  We frequently use punitive measures when what we really want is for students to improve in reading skills and--ultimately--appreciate reading as much as we do, so they can apply their skills to diverse and complex texts independently.  Both books supplied not only theory and anecdotes, but also clear strategies to implement immediately in the classroom.

My strongest takeaway from Book Love was the idea that we assign challenging texts to students whose skills may not allow the book to be accessible to them.  Yet at the same time we frequently undervalue independent reading.  Kittle argues that we should help build reading stamina in accessible books in addition to building in reading strategies in order to help students access books they may see in the classroom.  

One of my many takeaways from The Book Whisperer was the differentiation between the Developing Reader vs. the Dormant Reader vs. the Underground Reader.  The developing reader is one who we would more commonly refer to as a "struggling" reader, and Miller argues, much like Kittle does, that these students do not read as much as they need to in order to develop their skills--especially in remedial or test-taking focused programs.  The dormant readers by contrast are the ones who float through class "unmotivated and uninterested in reading," the ones who actually enjoy reading but the minimal demands of a classroom or the "reading hoops of a typical classroom" cause them to lose their interest and focus (28-29).  Finally, the underground readers are gifted ones who prefer their own reading to that done in school.  These are the readers who we as teachers frequently don't design lessons for because they have already surpassed most of their peers in this area.

In the end, both authors stressed two main points.  First, students must read: read more, read often, read books of their own choosing, and read books in their ability level!  This will help open doors to more complex texts.  And finally they stress that we as teachers have to share our love of reading with our students.  We need to talk about books with them, be honest with them about what we do and don't like in books, when we give up on a book and why, and how we find new books, etc.  Most adults aren't reading, so how else can we create this culture of readers if we ourselves don't model it for them!

It's not a waste of time--it's the foundation for everything we hope for in readers in our classrooms!

Collaborating to Learn! Our webinar for the Illinois Principals Association and EdLeaders Network

By The CollabLab Team

Today the CollabLab team had the opportunity to present a webinar to the Illinois Principals Association / Ed Leaders Network: The Collab Lab at Elk Grove High School: Responsive and Sustained Teacher-Led Professional Learning.

Our purpose was to share with the participants how they can support sustained and responsive teacher-led professional learning in their buildings.  We did this by sharing how we started in peer observation groups and how we continue to evolve in the CollabLab today, centering our conversation around our motto of "Connect, Learn, Share."

Alongside us, our principal, Paul Kelly, supported us and collaborated with us on this presentation.  His focus was to help participants reflect upon professional learning in their own building and help guide them in creating possible action plans.  You can access a copy of this document here.

Throughout the webinar we connected with participants through the hashtag #elnpln.  Check out our conversations and connect with others.  You can access our PowerPoint here.  It contains links to all of the resources supported by the CollabLab.  Please let us know if you'd like to share your ideas or talk to us about professional learning in your school or ours!

Classkick Classroom Visits

By: Rachel Barry

Yesterday, Tom Walloch and I had a unique opportunity to bring to our classes.  A representative from the app Classkick had reached out to me to preview their upcoming web-based version.   Classkick For Web will be launching in a few weeks.  Now, schools with devices other than iPads (laptops, Chromebooks, etc.) will be able to use Classkick.

The representative, Laura Litton, came to our classes to showcase the new version and take pictures of our students in action.  Overall students enjoyed the experience, especially that their picture may be featured in some of Classkick's promotional materials.  

Some of the feedback from the students was that after using the iPad version, it wasn't as user-friendly to write with the mouse on the web-based version.  They also acknowledged that their opinion was based on using it in the math classroom and that there are other applications in other content areas that may find the web-based version more efficient.  

In talking to Laura, she mentioned the much greater network of teachers they could reach using a web-based version, due to the limited number of districts able to purchase iPads for their students.  Some schools are investing in Chromebooks for the lower cost, while other schools are limited to computer labs.  Investing in this web-based version allows for more teachers to benefit from this awesome method of formative assessment!

And here is a special note from Classkick:

A Day in the Life...

By: Rachel Barry

Funny that I should see this post on Twitter just after having conversations last week in the Collab Lab about the numerous "hats" we wear as teachers.  Throughout the average day, there are countless roles that we teachers take on.  Most of the time, this is very exciting and fun.  Every once in a while, it feels that we are balancing too many hats.  One of the reasons that I went into teaching is that no two days are the same.  I feel that I am constantly challenging myself to learn new things each day, which can sometimes mean taking on too much and feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number or roles we play.  Reading this post helped me realize that we all sometimes need to find a balance to wearing all of our hats.

Though I agree with the list presented in the We Are Teachers blog post, I feel that some didn't apply to me (as a high school teacher) and there were some roles that were left out.  Therefore, I decided write this blog to include some additional roles that I feel should be included in this list.

Facilitator
First and foremost, the focus of every day is student learning.  In a previous blog post, I discussed the transition of the teacher role from a dominator to that of a facilitator.  There is a time and a place for each instructional method, however, the role of facilitator is becoming more important to ensure active learning in the classroom.  Therefore, teachers also need to provide students with the resources and facilitate the learning process, instead of simply providing the singular method of direct instruction.

Learner
Teachers need to constantly be learning.  Many teachers take graduate classes to better use technology in the classroom, obtain an endorsement to teach additional classes, or to earn a degree to become an administrator.  At EGHS, many teachers also join in professional learning opportunities that we provide such as Peer Observation Groups or Teaming on Tuesdays.

Curriculum Writer
Teachers design the curricula for a class.  Maybe a teacher has a textbook that he/she follows, yet writes warm-ups, tests, quizzes, and other supplemental materials.  Maybe, if the teacher is like most at EGHS, they write their own digital curricula.  Regardless of the degree to which a teacher writes the curricula for a class, he or she must spend hours designing lesson plans of how to use the provided resources and what resources need to be created.  Then, the teacher must create these resources.

Coach/Sponsor
Many teachers are coaches or sponsors.  An additional stipend is usually provided for the additional time, however, some schools expect you to be involved in some capacity.  As a coach myself, I find this to be an added perk of the job, as I get to see a different side to my students and work with students that I don't teach in my classes.  

Mentor
In many school districts, there is a program in place for new teachers to be paired up with a more veteran teacher.  First this mentor helps with day-to-day things such as taking attendance electronically, where important locations are in the building, and the different roles of various staff members in the building.  Eventually, this role transitions to discussions of classroom instruction, best teaching practices, and observations.  

Life Coach
Many students at EGHS will be the first in their family to go to college.  Accordingly, these students don't always have someone to advise them on some of their major life decisions going forward.  Many planning periods are spent discussing future options with students (past and present) as well as writing letters of recommendation.

Friend
Teachers build relationships with their peers, and rely on them for more than just school-related things.  A school is a community, so when a fellow teacher is pregnant or getting married, we celebrate!  When a peer goes through a loss (family member, house, etc.), we are there to support one another.  I cannot express how fortunate I am to have the collaboration and friendships that I have built here at EGHS.  


I could probably go on with more roles that we teachers carry (some more humorous such as dress code enforcer, relationship mediator, official PDA reducer, etc.), but I think you see the point.  There are many hats worn in this profession.  There are many hats worn in all professions.  Sometimes as the end of a long day, it is helpful to reflect on all of the different roles I played that day.  Maybe I played them well, and maybe I need to work harder at a couple tomorrow.  After all, as a teacher, I am a life-long learner! 

Trusting Your Students

By Mark Heintz

I wanted to connect with the auto teacher, Jeff Zdeconvec, affectionately referred to as Z, for a long time now.  Every year I would get these great updates about how well the auto team performed at state and nation wide competitions.  I would hear great happenings down in the auto shop.  Frequently Z encourages me to stop down to visit his class.  He has always been extremely open to having people stop down.  He is immensely connected to the school and the people in it through servicing a great number of teacher's cars.

Last week, Z finally pushed me to come down to the shop. Not only was I going to get to learn about the class, but Z insisted I let students teach me how to change my oil!  Read that again. Z insisted I let students teach me how to change my oil! He trusts his student's abilities so much, he was willing to let them teach a teacher whose understanding of cars comes mainly for the Fast and the Furious series.  This is the true definition of mastery.  My experience was nothing short of amazing.

 

When I entered the class, Z started by delegating the work that needed to be finished by the end of the day.  There were six or seven cars that needed work, and Z had the class split into teams.  Three of his students were assigned to teach me how to change my oil. 

Although Z is ultimately responsible for all the work completed by the students, he trusts his students with a great deal.  Students complete almost all of the work.  He merely checks each step of the work for quality and safety.  I have some of these students in my class, and I struggle to trust them to read on their own, let alone give them the trust he does with the responsibility of changing someone brakes.  

The class is a marvel.  There are so many moving parts, pun intended, that it is hard to comprehend how he manages the class.  Students are constantly calling out Z to have him check their work.  He is being pulled in so many different directions and somehow keeping an eye on the safety of all the students.  Carquest stopped by two different times during the period to drop off parts.  Z is essentially running a business and a school at the same time.

I think about how much trust he must have in his students.  This was the first time I have visited his classroom. Not only did he welcome me into his classroom with open arms, he entrusted three students to show me the quality of their skill by teaching a novice such as myself.  The process to change one's oil is incredibly technical.  Students are required to clean up oil spills, apply the proper amount of foot pounds to an oil plug, inspect cars, properly lift a car, and change brakes.  I am still marveling that he knows his students have mastered the work enough to teach a layman.  I have been rattling my brain how to get that level of mastery in my classroom where I trust my students to teach a teacher how to write an essay or the consequences of WWI.

Differentiation with technology

by Kirsten Fletcher

When I think of differentiation at EG, there is one teacher that automatically comes to mind.  Cliff Darnall has been teaching Japanese at EG for over 20 years and he frequently has 2 or even 3 different levels in the same classroom.  Imagine having 5 preps spread over 3 periods!

In Mr. Darnall's classroom, students are often divided so that one group works independently and the other receives personalized attention. Then they switch. All students benefit from manageable periods of total immersion and independent work.

Students working on a formative quiz

When I arrived to observe, one group was completing a formative quiz in the hallway while a second group was in the classroom discussing a listening passage. Because Cliff had built a good rapport with all students, he trusted one group to work independently and was able to give the other group very directed, personalized attention. He maintained a lengthy, input-based discussion in the target language and all students were engaged.

Mr. Darnall explaining target vocabulary with gestures and props

Students move into teams to begin Quizlet Live

Half-way through the class, the hallway group returned to receive personalized instruction from Mr. Darnall. The first group moved on to playing Quizlet Live*. In order to pull this off effectively, Mr. Darnall had to trust his students to run the game from his computer while he projected visuals on the screen to discuss with the other group. Students in the Quizlet group were clearly comfortable with this. They automatically moved into teams. When one game ended, they restarted the game and shuffled teams. All groups that I observed working independently were on task and collaborative.

Students run the game from Mr. Darnall's computer and
re-start it after discussing first round answers.

I give Mr. Darnall so much credit for the way he manages his classes. He must establish strong relationships with his students early on and instill in them a sense of purpose to get them working so well independently. Building on the foundation of class rapport, he is able to take risks like constantly trying new technology and turning it over for the students to run on their own. Thank you, Mr. Darnall for being such an inspiration!

*Quizlet Live is an interactive game that takes vocab cards created in Quizlet and allows students to compete in teams. See this blog post or this instructional video for more detailed information. When Cliff Darnall plays, Quizlet Live recognizes that his cards are in Japanese, so the team names appear in the target language! This works for other languages too.

Growing Professionally: New Staff share ideas

Written by Linda Ashida

Growing professionally was the theme of our most recent New Staff Induction meeting. Guided by the Danielson Framework, Domain 4, participants reflected on their first year at EGHS and shared their ideas via a Think-Pair-Share activity. They used Post-It notes (with each participant using a different color) to share examples from their practice, or questions they had, on the whiteboard wall and newsprint posters hung around the Collab Lab. Each section of the wall, or each poster, represented a different component of Domain 4. The teachers then paired up with a colleague to carrousel around the room to read and chat about all the ideas that had been posted. They were also invited to respond to the ideas by annotating the wall or the posters.

The carrousel  activity was followed by a great whole-group discussion and we all left with new ideas to reflect on our own practice, new ideas to curate examples of our work in professional portfolios, and take next steps.

The posters from the activity are still hanging in the Collab Lab and they have continued to inspire staff, of all levels of experience, who have stopped by and read everything we shared that day.

Check out their ideas below!

If you had your own Post-It notes, what would you add?