Student Driven; Impact on Students

During Monday PD we determined multiple values that are essential to the work we do at Hoover. This week I highlight our value of being Student Driven.
As a team we decided this meant we would continually use student data, needs, and interests to guide the work we do in the classroom and the instruction we plan for each and every day.

In the above video I talked with a 2nd grade student in Ms. Rieck's room who was practicing the use of math manipulatives to represent numbers. Ms. Rieck talked about how this was the second tool they had learned to use, and students would continue practicing in a variety of ways.

Research shows that using hands on materials will help contribute to the retention of knowledge for students. Research also suggests the more ways we are able to model learning for students, the more likely we will help ALL students make a connection and find the most efficient strategy for their particular learning and style. 

As students were working, Ms. Rieck was constantly walking around to pairs of students, checking work, asking reflective questions, prompting students further to challenge their thinking. This is an efficient time for the teacher to be taking physical or mental notes to formatively asses where students are at in their thinking and learning. By the teacher walking around to students, we are encouraging them to stay engaged in the learning, creating that sense of proximity, and we can see where multiple students are at, instead of one at a time at our desk.

After students practiced with partners, Ms. Rieck brought students together to share about their learning. Below is the conversation Ms. Rieck facilitated in her classroom. Throughout this conversation Ms. Rieck will be able to make multiple judgements of the student learning, as well as notes about their thinking process or misconceptions she might need to clear up with the class or individuals at a later time. 

By using this formative data, she will be able to drive her future instruction and continue to be student driven to improve student achievement.

Teacher

"The number was 46. We know that is 4 tens and 6 ones. Looking at my pieces, is this 46?"

Class

"NO!"

Teacher

"It's not"

Student

"It is but it is backwards"

Teacher

"This is 46, but when I write 46, I have to make sure the pieces are in the correct place.

So I can write it out 46 like this and it is less confusing. If this is the way we are going to write numbers, this is the way you need to show it on your paper."

Teacher

"How do you feel about working with these tools compared to the connect blocks?"

Class

"EASIER!"

Teacher

"Let's talk about that. Yesterday we used the connecting cubes to look at our place values, and today for the first time we got out our place value blocks. I wanted to talk about what the difference was, and which ones you enjoyed working with the most. Who can tell me something that you liked about these that was different than the other ones?"

Student

"I liked that they stayed together and they didn't fall a part."

Teacher

"Anything else you noticed about these?"

Student

"I liked when we changed numbers is was easier to take 10 away instead of breaking them a part to make 5 or another number. When we went from 46 to 35 we could just take a big piece with 10 off and one more little piece. It was faster. "

Teacher

"Anything else about the difference between the two tools?"

Student

"It is easier to make big numbers, because if you needed 5 tens, you didn't need to count out each one, you just knew to use the ten ones."

Teacher

"So you can just easily count out 5 to get 50, and that is easier for you?"

Student

"Yeah"

Student

"I liked that if you needed 100, if you were using the connecting cubes you would need to spend all that time counting them each out, but with the blocks you could just pull down 10."

Life-Long Learners

Last week in Staff PD we discussed what Hoover's values and vision should be, in regards to staff expectations of student outcomes.

We came up with 5 focuses and broke each focus down to really determine what we should be able to see and hear when we walk through the building or classroom.

This week, I kept seeing examples of the life-long learners we are creating here at Hoover through our teaching, each and every day, based on the definition the staff came up with.

By this definition I found examples across all grade levels that I will share below.

Self-Regulated:

 A second grader was reading independently, while Ms. Rieck worked with a small group of students.








A first grader worked independently on Lexia to improve his reading skills while Ms. Daley worked with a small group.

Both of these student showed they had the ability to self-regulate on learning tasks to improve their skills.

 Two boys in Ms. Grasz's room were motivated by the engaging math activity to use cards and manipulative to find sums of 20.
These students were able to tell me that "they were finding sums of 20 in order to quickly see if numbers added together to equal 20. Then they got to move on to bigger and bigger numbers as they got better at their math facts."\




In Ms. Elmarouani's class, they were working on Number Talks when I came in. A word problem was presented on the board, and students were to determine how to solve this problem and be able to share how they solved it. This was a real world problem presented to them, asking students to figure out if they had three dogs, how many total legs did all of the dogs have. Students were given time to consider the problem and think about the solution. Then share out their thinking with the class. Here is the conversation I heard:

Teacher
"While you are thinkingm if you come up with an answer, see if you can think of another way to solve this same problem."
"Who has an answer?"

Student
"I think the dogs have 16 total legs."

Teacher
"Walk me through your problem solving to help the class understand."

Student
"Well first I did 4+4 which equals 8. Uh oh, I think I messed up."

Teacher
"That is ok. Continue to share your thinking with us, and then tell us how it just changed."

Student
"Well I did 4+4 =8 and then I did 4+4 = 8 again. And then 8+8 equals 16. But I know I added too many 4's. Because the problem only had three dogs. So I just need to add 4 three times."

Teacher
"So you are saying instead of doing 4 +4 and then 4+4 again, you would just do 4 + 4 +4. So who can explain what he just said and then tell us what you think the answer is."

By not telling the student they were wrong right away, Elmarouani allowed the student to notice their mistake and make the correction on their own. By learning from our own mistakes, we retain the knowledge and lesson for much longer than if someone else corrects us. We also have the skills needed to solve future problems on our own.
At the end of the lesson, the student felt successful, and his relationship with Elmarouani was intake, since he was not discouraged for answering incorrectly, or embarrassed in front of his peers.
When students are given the capacity to learn and reflect on their learning, we are instilling the ability to be life-long learners beyond the lesson and classroom.

Collaboration is Visible

"The first step in learning to work together is to become a team - an entity unto itself that is more than the mere sum of the individuals who comprise the team."
- Guide to Effective Teacher Teams

Being the first week that PLC's met for teacher teams, I had collaboration on the mind. As I started to walk through classrooms I realized that collaboration and team work were evident throughout the entire building.

Teachers had already started to teach their students about teamwork to ensure they were setting them up for success within the classroom and productive groups. 

In Mr. Boes' 5th grade class, it was clear that these students had practiced collaboration for years, since they were so equipped to work productively with partners and small groups on the second week of school. The expectations for the 5th grade class were clear and attainable with students on task, sharing how they came to a solution in math, and working together to find the solutions. 

Amy Rallis allowed students the option to read together during independent time. These two students did not know I was behind them, and their teacher was across the room, and they were on task reading, discussing, and learning together. I knew this had to have come from an environment that fosters peer collaboration and teamwork, not just a random moment in time. 

When students see teachers collaborating with students, other teachers, anyone in the building, it is a visual model for them of what can be accomplished when we learn to work together. 

I continue to be so impressed and excited every day at the opportunity I was given to come work and collaborate with the amazing teachers and students at Hoover. This was reinforced again when I was able to be a part of the first PLC's of the school year with each team. 

Teachers came to the meeting ready to set goals, talk about student data, share ideas, and embody the definition of collaboration. 

I know that through productive PLC's we will continue to move from Great to Greater!

Living and Learning the Hoover Way

Watching the first week get under way at Hoover Elementary has been a wonderful and uplifting experience. 

It is so evident walking the halls and into classrooms that teachers truly care for their students, and students enjoy being here. 

At out first Staff Meeting we talked about what we stood for at Hoover, or what our Pillars were. It was so interesting to look at the staff responses and hear what everyone had to say, and a totally other thing to walk the halls and SEE our words take actions.

So many classrooms the first two weeks created specific lessons regarding the Hoover Pillars of Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Caring. 

Deb Carlson had the Pillars posted and visible for every student as they entered the classroom.

Tonya, Becky, and Jamie each had the Pillars and descriptors listed in their rooms that they had discussed and created look fors with their students. 

I was able to witness Lyndsay Daley teaching each student in her room what it means to be a productive and successful student at Hoover. Students were participating in the discussion, and providing examples to show they understood. As I continued to walk through Lyndsay's room the rest of the week, they continued to revisit this anchor chart, and the language Lyndsay used each time she addressed a student behavior or retaught an action, the language matched the chart. This type of consistency will truly resonate with students and help them to learn and live in a way that is Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Caring.

Our jobs as teachers have grown increasingly difficult over the past couple of decades, with it becoming more of the job of the teacher to develop the WHOLE child. We no longer focus on just academics, but instead are responsible, for the social, emotional, and mental state of a child. By embedding these skills and traits throughout our everyday lessons of what it looks like to be in our classrooms and schools, we are setting up our year for success!!!