#SBGBOOKCLUB 2019: Rethinking Grading Part 2

Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Grading

Alternative Ways to Give Feedback

I can use starter questions at the beginning of class. In my gamified class students can earn XP for answering the starter questions. Review games (Kahoot, Quizizz, Gimkit) are another excellent way for students to practice multiple-choice knowledge. Go Formative also offers many different types of questions that a teacher can ask and students answer the questions online. Sprinkling in challenges and competition can be very engaging for many students, and they are more exciting than quizzes. Classcraft also offers a formative assessment in the form of a "boss battle," where correct answers equal an attack on the boss.

Don't Grade Everything

We should not penalize practice. If a student tries an assignment and does most of it incorrectly, we should offer feedback and a chance to try again instead of assigning a low grade and moving on. If every task is assigned a point value, then tasks without points are considered worthless. The goal also just becomes a hunt for as many points as possible, not to learn the concepts and skills.

My Future Plans

• Introduce students to the learning target and have them self-assess. This serves as a pretest before teaching.
• Only summative scores should count in the final grade
• “Find it and fix it” - teacher tells students how many questions are incorrect, but not which ones they are; students have a chance to fix their answers
• Mastery checks
• Green - Basic skill problems
• Yellow - Require multiple steps/ideas to solve
• Red - new types of questions; go beyond and apply knowledge to a new situation
• Analogy
• Feedback = rehearsal
• Formative = dress rehearsal
• Summative = performance

First Steps to Grade Reform

My first goal is to focus my grade book on the standards instead of on individual tasks. I have already stopped grading for behaviors, as gamification in my classes has taken on this role. Instead of deducting points for late work or cheating, students lose health points in our game. Hopefully, cheating will not be a problem once I completely stop grading classwork.

Changing the Schedule

We currently have collaboration time for teachers once a week, but I spend my collaboration time alone. There are 2.5 Social Studies teachers in our district. One is teaching a reading intervention during collaboration time, and the other leaves school for the day before collaboration time. As such a small school, we have not been able to find a financially feasible way to make time for collaboration for all teachers.

Takeaways

I think the most important step in switching to standards-based grading is making sure that all stakeholders understand the process, as well as why the teacher is implementing the system. It’s difficult to get parents to listen or read newsletters, so getting the word out might be difficult. There is also the potential for misunderstanding. As long as students understand the system, they can help their families understand as well. I also like the idea of making information about my grading policy available on my teacher website, which is linked through the district website. I can also link my policy on Google Classroom for student access. Administrators can also back up the standards-based grading philosophy. My administration supports the idea of standards-based grading, so I am fortunate in that regard.

#SBGBOOKCLUB 2019: Rethinking Grading Part 1

This summer I am taking part in a book club about Standards-Based Grading, hosted by Kathryn Byars. (Blog) (Twitter)

The book club focuses on three books:

1. Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Grading by Cathy Vatterott
2. What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey and Susan M. Brookhart 
3. Grading from the Inside Out: Bringing Accuracy to Student Assessment Through a Standards-Based Mindset by Tom Schimmer

I am going to keep track of my reflections from the book study here. I am not going to post the questions that Byars posed to us, as those are her words. My reflections will explain my thoughts as I was reading through each book and determining my philosophy as well as what I have been doing and what I will be changing in the future.

This is the first part, focusing on the first book:

Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Grading

Student Ability and Student Grades

I have seen a disconnect between student ability and student grades in my own classroom, even this school year. There are always those students who refuse to do daily work or projects but ace every test. In my classes, normally this student could still have a good grade due to the fact that summative scores are 80% of the final grade and 20% are formative scores, but students that don’t do summative projects lose out on major summative points there. I’ve always struggled with that. Projects are summative, as they showcase a student’s learning, but should I put projects and tests in the same weighted category? If I do that, students who do not complete projects still fail, even when they can easily pass tests and show mastery that way.

On the other hand, there are those students who ace every daily work assignment, but fail test after test. I know that cheating has been an issue this school year, and I aim to focus on changing that. Many students cheat due to the pressure to get a good grade on the assignment, or they aren’t engaged, or they don’t see a purpose in the assignment. I want to focus on making the work more purposeful and engaging.

Empowering Students to Own Their Learning

I try to allow choices for students, but often students go with what they consider to be the safest choice. For example, I do a year-end project that is a short research project. Students are given choices as to how to present their project (Adobe Spark video, Google Site, children’s storybook, slideshow, etc.). 90% of students choose to do a slideshow. I’ve thought about getting rid of that option, but I want to allow students choice. We have also completed projects in various mediums throughout the school year, so students have exposure to all of the choices.

We also do the National History Day project, where students get to choose their own topic. This empowers students to create a project on a topic that they are interested in.

I certainly need to empower my students more, but I think I need a structure in place first. Telling students that they are in charge of their own learning can be daunting for students who are unaccustomed to that. They often don’t know where to start, so I need to have some sort of structure to get students going. The structure will also make sure that students are focusing on the skills and content that they need to master.

Teaching Behaviors vs. Teaching Social Studies

Students that play the game of school well (speak nicely, behave, sit still, turn in your work) get good grades, though they might not have mastered the skills. Also, often students are more focused on the number of points than on the learning itself. For example, I had a student tell me that he wasn’t going to do any daily work assignments because they only affected 10% of his grade. I plan to stop grading daily work in the future, which won’t necessarily make more students complete the work, but it will help us all focus on the purpose behind the daily work (practice!) rather than the points attributed to the assignment.

Does Rigor = Few High Achievers?

Rigor does not mean that only a few students receive high grades. Some teachers might believe that assigning difficult work is rigorous, but it isn’t helping students learn if it is too difficult for them to complete by using their current skill set and possibly some help from the teacher. A class can challenge students, help them learn, and help them succeed (therefore the students earn high grades) all at the same time. The point is to help students learn, not punish the students that aren’t quite at the same level as the highest achievers who can complete the work all on their own. All students should be able to earn high grades if they show mastery.

"Deserving" an A

A student who works to achieve mastery and, even if they need help, they master the skills, they deserve an A. If a student does not show mastery, they will not receive an A, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve it. Given fair opportunities and ample time to learn, every student should be able to master the necessary skills.

Quantity v. Quality

The new Social Studies standards in Wisconsin help provide an outline for how to do include more higher-level thinking skills instead of focusing on covering a great deal of specific content. The standards focus on inquiry and analyzing sources rather than on the content, which used to be the focus. We are required to cover all essential time periods for US History and World History as outlined in the introduction to the standards, but each individual standard focuses on skills instead of content. This really helps, as I can pick out important topics from a specific time period (say, the Progressive Era), and students can choose which topic they would like to focus on. As a class we would work on thinking skills such as identifying the author’s point of view and determining how their point of view affects the information that they include in their source. I would model one to the class, work through one with the class, and students could practice on their own after choosing the topic that interests them (work safety, women’s rights, social welfare, conservation, etc.). Students can have plenty of practice with the skills, but they won’t have to remember each and every Progressive Era reformer that is mentioned; just the significance of the era and how to analyze sources.

Benefits of SBL

The benefits of a standards-based learning classroom include students learning at their own pace, a focus on mastery instead of speed, opportunities for students to take risks and challenge themselves without being punished, and students better understanding the importance of the work that they are completing. Challenges include being able to help and reach every student in a system like this. As a high school teacher with 150-200 students per day and some classes with 30 students, it can be very difficult to tailor instruction in a way that helps every student learn, not to mention keep track of that learning. My issue would be setting up a system, but once in place, I know that management is attainable.

Changing the Way We Grade

I agree with Vatterott for the most part that we should only grade learning and there is no one-shot grading. There are some instances in which deadlines cannot be avoided, such as our National History Day projects. The projects must be completed in time for judging at our local contest, but this does not mean that learning stops. I allow revisions to be made on the projects even after the contests are over, and even if students do not make it to the next level. The initial project must be done to be judged, but revisions can be made later. Another project that I do is a Shark Tank project in which members of the community come in to be the sharks. The projects must be done to present them when the sharks are present. Understandably, revisions to both projects can be made after the initial deadline, but there must be a project to present. This is where I struggle; do students lose points for not having their project done on time to be judged? It is not fair to ask the judges to return simply to judge one project, and it is not authentic to have a random teacher or administrator be the judge.

Last year I graded almost everything and, naturally, was drowning in grading all of the time. Most of it was meaningless, and I knew it, but I didn’t know how else to get students to do the work. I’m working on changing that next year as I substitute worksheets with more meaningful and authentic work and make sure that students know why we are doing something and what the value of the work is. I never stuck to “one-shot grading” and always offered chances for retakes or revisions, but I feel like I have to incorporate a deadline, otherwise, I get piles and piles of retest requests or revised projects at the end of the semester and there is no time for me to grade it before grades are due for report cards.

Shifting the Grade Book to Learning Targets

I want to do shift my grade book from tasks to learning targets so badly, but I’m not sure where to start! I’ve done tons of research but have been unable to whittle down to something that is manageable for me to put together. My thoughts are that I would like to make each standard into a category, and then have tasks within each standard. As a beginner, it would be too difficult for me to only have the standard in there once, as I won’t know how many times we will be addressing a particular skill throughout the year.

Key Takeaways

My key takeaways this week are as follows… I plan to...

• Unpack the new Social Studies standards that Wisconsin has recently approved
• Write student-friendly learning targets using the standards
• Organize my grade book categories into learning targets
• Focus on skills (easy with the new standards) and find ways to provide student choice in the content they study

Read my July 2020 update here.

Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? - Ch. 3

Using the Rail Strike of 1877 to Teach Chronological Thinking and Causality

In order to fully understand chronology, students must also understand causality.#sschatreads #sschat pic.twitter.com/XuwfXCyeTK

— Carlene Baurichter (@MrsBaurichter) July 31, 2018

The Importance of Chronology

In Chapter 3, Lesh discusses the importance of chronology in teaching history. More importantly, instead of simply teaching the order in which events happen, we must make sure to help students make connections concerning the causality that links various events together. It's no use knowing what happens directly after an event if we can't make a connection as to why it is happening, instead of a different result.

Using Original Documents vs. Transcribed Documents

Lesh does mention the virtues of using images of original documents during historical investigations, but he makes a more important point: "These same yellowing documents, with their archaic and sometimes misspelled words, can turn a good historical investigation into a battle with students who shut down because of the language or readability of a source" (Lesh, 85). If students can't read the source, they won't be able to conduct the investigation. As a result, Lesh suggests that including an image of the original source is beneficial, but transcribing the source and retyping it can help students reach the intended goal: comprehending the primary source and being able to use it as historical evidence in their historical investigation.

Chronology Doesn't Work Alone

Lesh also warns against teaching students to read documents in chronological order.

"Chronology, when developed by historians, is not simply placing documents in chronological order, but making determinations about relationships among information contained within a historical source and then using that information to craft an accurate telling of the event. Just because a document is dated later than the others dos not mean that the information does not inform an earlier telling of the event" (Lesh, 89-90).

Just because a document was written after another document doesn't mean that it won't help explain causation, or other information that could be needed to set a foundation for the investigation.

Source Credibility Over Time

Lesh makes it clear that "time does not destroy the utility of a source to a given problem" (Lesh, 91). I am guilty of telling my students that "memory fades over time, so beware of memoirs," but Lesh makes a valid point here. Memoirs and sources written years after a historical event might distort the facts a bit, but they are still useful resources to give us a glimpse into the past. Some sources written long after the fact can be even better than a source written the day an event happened because they can "present a broader view of an issue, depoliticize it, or deepen its political value." That's an excellent point! Someone writing the day of might be very emotional about the event, but in reflecting years later might have a level head about what actually happened and why it is important. We can also see how the event has created an impact if we examine the thoughts of its participants years later.

Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? - Ch. 2

Chapter 2: Introducing Historical Thinking: Nat Turner's Rebellion of 1831

"... the notion that history is alive, debatable, and connected to the present affords my students the opportunity to realize that although the key figures and events of the past are gone, their influence lingers today and defines many of the political, social, and economic characteristics of the modern world." - Bruce Lesh

Graphic made with Adobe Spark

This is a quote that I want to share with my students. This is why the past is important! Every action in the past was a choice. Every choice had an impact, big or small. Each of those choices have changed the world in which we live in today. Historical investigation can help us see the connections and determine how our choices can also have an impact on the world.

In this chapter, Lesh walks the reader in detail through the first historical investigation that he does with his students every year. There is a great deal of substance in this chapter and it really spells out how to implement this strategy with success.

One tip that he gives is to "ensure that text sources are used in conjunction with visual elements" because this allows students to make connections and analyze different types of sources. Lesh also points out that many students are more used to interpreting visuals than textual sources, so including images can play to the strengths of those students.

Lesh includes a culminating activity where students determine whether Nat Turner was a hero or a villain. This part of the activity drives home the point that history is the result of interpretation and perspective. Depending on the sources used and the perspective of the person analyzing those sources, the conclusions reached about a historical event can vary widely.

Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? - Ch. 1

Chapter 1: Reinventing My Classroom: Making Historical Thinking Reality

Getting started on the first few chapters of Bruce Lesh's book, Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? There is a lot of good insight so far! #sschat pic.twitter.com/FPJGjufCZq

— Carlene Baurichter (@MrsBaurichter) July 28, 2018

The "History Laboratory" Approach

Graphic made with Adobe Spark

"In the history lab, students would confront information (conduct experiments), draw conclusions (analyze data), and defend their hypothesis (do lab write ups)." - Bruce Lesh

I love this idea because this is a different approach to "doing" history instead of simply memorizing history. As Lesh states, other disciplines teach students the process of "doing." They focus on the tools and skills necessary. History needs to be the same way! I am going to make sure that I am focusing on how to interpret historical events instead of just teaching rote memorization. I will present my students with sources and the facts, help them learn historical thinking skills, and allow them to make hypotheses and come to their own conclusions about historical events and their impact on the current day.

Graphic made with Adobe Spark

Essential Questions

"[Essential] questions must be worth discussing, not have a simple or single answer, and be linked to significant historical evidence."

This is excellent advice to keep in mind as I move toward implementing the new Social Studies standards for the state of Wisconsin. As I plan the revisions to my Social Studies units, I have to make sure that I include essential questions that spur curiosity in my students instead of asking my students to simply "identify" or "describe" vocabulary. Vocabulary is important, but students will remember it much better, as well as its connections to the wider context of history, if they use the vocabulary within their analyses of historical events. Lesh focuses on essential questions on pages 15-18 of his book and does a great job of providing criteria for teachers to assess the effectiveness of the essential questions.

Text, Context, Subtext

Lesh encourages his students to interpret history through analyzing the text, context, and subtext. I love this strategy because it pushes students to look beyond the meaning of the words alone and encourages them to focus on the influence of the author's perspective, the events occurring at the time in history in which the source was written, etc.

Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer, Bruce Lesh, 2011, p. 20

Conducting a Historical Investigation

Lesh does a great job of explaining concisely how to conduct a historical investigation on p. 23 of his book. He starts with introducing a focus question and walks the reader through the steps all the way to assessment of student learning. I'd encourage you to buy his book for that page alone! UMBC also has a page on History Labs that includes a video and some additional reading.

Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? Takeaways - Introduction

This post will be my first reflection on the book Why Don't You Just Tell Us the Answer? by Bruce Lesh.

So far, his book is very insightful, and I'm looking forward to hearing more strategies from him. Some reflections will be longer than others, but essentially I am using my blog to keep track of my thoughts as I read. Here goes!

"History does not pivot on the provability of theories... [it] is about the debate between competing interpretations of events, individuals, and ideas of the past based on the utilization of historical evidence." - Bruce Lesh

This is something that I want my students to really understand. History cannot be proven. There is no single right answer. Instead, it's all about interpretation and the perspective from which we view the facts that leads to a construction of history.

Historical thinking skills that Lesh covers in his book:

• Causality
• Chronology
• Multiple Perspectives
• Contingency
• Empathy
• Change and Continuity Over Time
• Influence/Significance/Impact
• Contrasting Interpretations
• Intent/Motivation
• Source Work

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 19: Your Dynamic Learning Plan

The planning process is setup in a very logical way, and it helps me think through each important part of the process. I’ll be using it in the future so I don’t miss out on any necessary parts of the planning process!

I can still make the unit more dynamic. I want to find a local reformer that I can have come into class and speak with my students about making a difference. It doesn’t have to relate to history at all; it just needs to be a meaningful discussion for students to connect history to the current day, and empower my students to realize that they can make a difference as well.

Check out this previous blog post to view my planning document.

Shake Up Learning: Dynamic Learning Experience Planning Document - Progressive Era

In Shake Up Learning, Kasey Bell challenges the reader to brainstorm how to make a learning experience more dynamic. Here is my brainstormed document all about how I can restructure my Progressive Era unit!

Click here to learn more about how to create a Dynamic Learning Experience.

I began putting together a finalized form of this Dynamic Learning Experience. Take a look!

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 18: What Does Dynamic Learning Look Like?

I liked the learning experience examples because they showed what a wide variety of activities we can do in our classes, regardless of grade or subject.

I like the #goaltime project in Chapter 18. Because we do National History Day and that takes up a lot of time, I don’t think that we would be able to dedicate much class time to a project like this, but even a few minutes here or there would be very beneficial to students. I want to start the school year with having students create vision boards like the ones that Kasey shows in Chapter 15, and that would tie in nicely as an introduction to a #goaltime project.

For me, the hardest part of planning a lesson is deciding what the priorities are. As a Social Studies teacher I know that we can’t cover everything, but I have to choose which content will reach my students and teach that within the context of teaching historical thinking skills. Focusing on the skills and allowing students choice over the topics (within the context of a unit) seems to work well, but it's hard to decide which parts of history are more "important" than others.

Above and Beyond

https://youtu.be/zTbuFN8_D_s

The main message that I got from the video above is that if students collaborate creatively, they can go beyond their own expectations and the expectations of others that have been placed upon them. The other students were critical and even put Maya and Charlie down, but they persevered and soared high above everyone else. I think it’s commendable when students have the skills to follow directions, but adding a personal touch makes any project, big or small, better.

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 17: Facilitating With Finesse

Because many activities are open-ended, I find that I don’t have to guide my students too much as a whole group. This frees me up to facilitate. I also package my digital assignments which saves a lot of instruction time, as all of the instructions are listed on Google Classroom already. We also use some protocols, so students are very familiar with certain activities just a few weeks into the school year. I don’t have to instruct the students on what they are going to do because they already know the drill. I like to be pretty hands-off and allow my students to discover for themselves. Prepping activities ahead of time and anticipating misconceptions makes this process a lot easier.

Last year I had a Smart Board that I despised. It froze often, not allowing us to project things, which was a huge pain when students were doing presentations (and we do presentations a lot!). Because we are 1:1, a couple students were ok with me pushing out their project digitally through Google Classroom so the other students could follow along on their screens instead of looking at the Smart Board. I don’t always like doing this because students can get sidetracked, but they were very respectful in listening to the presenter due to the circumstances. I am always prepared with a plan B just in case, because technology is not always reliable. There are other things that we have done on paper (like twitter “chats” on a large poster board) because we could not do the same activity online. Sometimes the students like a change of pace!

I suppose I don’t use any specific strategies for facilitation, but I like to allow students to collaborate in groups. This encourages students to work together and ask each other questions that would normally be asked to me. This frees me up to sit with a group and help them through a concept if they are struggling. I try to circulate as much as possible, too, without looking like I can’t stand still. I make sure to visit each and every group, asking for clarification, or just listening to their discussion. At the beginning of the year, many students get quiet when the teacher comes around because they don’t want to be wrong, but they get much more comfortable with this as the year goes on.

I love the idea of student tech experts. I’m thinking of adding this as a job in my gamified class, and students can earn Gold Points that they can use in our classroom economy. I know this will really encourage some students to be more involved with other students and it will empower them. I think it is a really powerful way to get students involved.

I give feedback on digital assignments through commenting. We do a lot in G Suite, and comments are an excellent way to give feedback. I try to give feedback as students are working on assignments, but I don’t see many of the assignments until they are turned in. I should find a new way of doing this. My students also give peer feedback sometimes, but we should do more of this too. I have experienced students sharing their work with other students and the other students proofreading and leaving comments, doing peer feedback without my prompting. I talk to these students individually and commend them for finding an honest and productive way to improve their work. Many students think this is cheating and they hide it, so they are surprised when I tell them that it is beneficial and is what many adults do, as well.

I assess digital work the same way that I would assess a hard copy assignment. I’m unsure of how to describe this. I do want to change how I assign points, though. I would like to grade less and give feedback more. I would like to have digital work shared with me when it has just been created instead of after it has been turned in. I can do this if I use Google Classroom to create a copy of an assignment or a blank Google Doc or all of my students. Then I can see their progress before it is turned in, as I am the owner of the document.

For long-term projects, we have weekly goals and check-ins. We do National History Day projects from September until February. Every week there is a new assignment and students complete it, turn it in, and see their feedback. They are held accountable for completing the assignment for that week and if they don’t, I have a record and can work with them to get it completed during study hall time. I have a master Google Sheet where I keep track of each week’s assignments (completion, grade, if it’s late, etc.) If students are chronically late with the weekly assignments, I look into why that is happening - for some, they need help with citations, they can’t find sources for their obscure topic, they need accommodations, etc. I find out why it is happening and can help them to get back on track. The sheet is a life saver!

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 17: Facilitating With Finesse (Takeaways)

I had a few awesome takeaways from this chapter.

First, I like the idea of using the "Yes, and...?" approach. If my goal is to make learning more dynamic, I need to ensure that students are thinking beyond what they consider to be the "end product." If a student answers a question and feels as if they are done, I want them to think to themselves, "Yes, and...?" They could then add more details to their answer to make it more robust. For projects, this will help lead students to new information or analysis that they can add to their project.

Second, the "ask three before me" strategy is one that I have heard of, but barely used. I like this idea, as it makes student more accountable for their own learning, and the learning of their peers. Many students are helping each other anyway, but some prefer to ask the teacher everything. If my students are answering questions for others, I will be able to facilitate more efficiently. In addition, I allow my students to collaborate, but some students believe that copying someone's answer is collaboration. I want to facilitate healthy, positive collaboration in my classroom, where each student is doing their part to help the whole. If I am freed up from answering many small questions, I can be sure to help my students learn positive collaboration.

Third, I like the idea of having go-to tech experts in my classes. There are some students who know a lot about technology, but are very introverted. I was one of those students! By giving my students the opportunity to be tech experts, I can empower them to share their knowledge with the class. Of course, this would be an optional opportunity for my students. I'm considering gamifying the experience and "paying" the tech expert for their work with digital Gold Points. This will be motivating for students, so I'll have to limit the amount of time that a person can be the tech expert and I will have to create an application process.

Fourth, I already try not to grade for numbers of slides or photos included on a project, but I struggled in the past with how to get students to make more dynamic presentations. I think gamifying this process a little bit more and giving experience points for creativity and effort is the best way to go with this. This way I will be grading for the learning that they are doing, but they can still be awarded for their effort in a way that won't affect their grade.

Lastly, I love the "TAG" strategy. I have struggled with the process of my students giving peer feedback, and this is a great place to start! Here is a poster that I created to show the TAG strategy:

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 16: Purposeful Planning

My district is blessed to have 1:1 iPads. I would prefer that my student have the opportunity to type on a keyboard, but we do have access to Chromebook carts and a lab, plus we have attachable keyboards for the students.

As I am in a new district, I’m not yet sure what the policy is about publishing online. I am definitely going to find out if this is possible, and I can have students use pseudonyms if necessary. I hope that it is alright for us to publish, as my students need to be the ones to tell their story and to begin building their online portfolios
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Plan A works out about half of the time, but that’s what happens when you take risks in the classroom! My students still learn what they need to learn and meet the goals that they have to meet, but I often find myself switching up a lesson or a small part of a lesson to inject some enthusiasm into the class, or to fix a small issue or glitch in our activity.

I have a website where I post everything. I am beginning a new one this year (again, new school district), but students know they can go there to find links to assignments. (My Website: http://tinyurl.com/Baurichter) In order to find more specific information, we use Google Classroom. This is the first place I want my students to visit; the one-stop-shop. If they need to get to my website to find something from a particular unit, the link to the website is in the “About” tab on Google Classroom.

I package not only assignments, but lesson plans for the day. Every day I post an agenda of what we are doing in class. It includes the following:

• Learning Targets
• Assignments that are Due Today (if anything)
• Steps in the Lesson
• Starter Question
• Mini-Lecture (5 min)
• Activity
• Assignment (due date, with a link to the assignment details)
• Assignments are posted separately, though I do link to the assignment details in the daily agenda. For assignments, I post the task, expectations/rubric, due date, and pertinent links that can help the student complete the assignment.

Read more about packaging assignments: How to Package Your Online Assignments

Examples:

When it comes to using digital tools, I like to try out what is new. If we do this, I have plan B ready to go, and I start with a disclaimer. I tell my students that we’re trying something new, so just have fun with it! I never grade anything that is connected to something we are trying for the first time. Overall though, I know that I need to focus more on the learning target than the tool. Often I think that a tool is pretty awesome and try to use it without considering what I want my students to learn first.

Once we tried out a new review game app and it didn’t work at all. The kids understood, and asked when they could try it again. They know that glitches happen, and it’s nothing to be upset about! I used to get visibly frustrated because I thought it made me look unprepared, but the students understand. It also eases their discomfort when it comes time for them to present something. They know that if it doesn’t work, they can try out their plan B and not get frustrated about it. Teachers need to model many things, but one that all students notice is when you model the proper way to respond when things don’t go as planned.

The most difficult of technology integration is when a student does not want to try a new tool. I had one student who despised technology and never wanted to participate if we were using the computers. It turned out that he just had no experience with computers and did not understand how to use it. When we would try out a new app or website, I would be there to help him launch it. Soon a friend of his picked up on this and was there to help him. Once he saw how it was done a few times, he was able to do it on his own. By the end of the school year he loved going on the Chromebook and was talking about wanting to get one so he could go online over the summer, though he said he would still spend almost all of his time fishing instead. It helps to discover why a student isn’t interested and solve that problem in order to make it easier or more entertaining for them in the future.

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 15: The Dynamic Learning Framework

Shake Up Learning - Dynamic Learning

My classes can be dynamic sometimes, but not as often as I'd like. I try to connect previous lessons with current lessons by using overarching themes. My history classes focus on the BAGPIPE themes (Beliefs, America in the World, Geography and Environment, Peopling, Identity, Politics and Power, Economics). We are always connecting back to the themes, and over time students see the connections between topics and events as well. This keeps our learning from being “we’re done with that” to “this is how it connects to the current day.” We also do the National History Day project, which we begin in September and present in February. Students research and revise throughout the year. Other than that, I need to incorporate more dynamic learning. I wrote about how I could do that in my blog: Opportunities for Dynamic Learning

I couldn’t say for sure what percentage of assignments in my classes are dynamic, but the number needs to be higher. I don’t know if I could make 100% of my assignment dynamic, but I will start by increasing dynamic assignments and decreasing my use of static assignments.

As a Social Studies teacher I often hear students say that the topics that we are covering don’t matter. It’s hard to convince a student that they do matter when all assignments are static. If the teacher is constantly giving students assignments that are over as soon as they are turned in, then there is no connection to the future. There is no connection to anything at all. The teacher, then, is assuring the student that the topic no longer matters after your assignment is graded. I don’t want that. I want my students to see the value in what they are learning, so they pay closer attention and become productive citizens who think about the consequences of their actions before they act. Utilizing dynamic assignments is one way that I can help my students to understand the importance of Social Studies.

Without even knowing what the 4 C’s were, I can say that I integrated them about half of the time. My students are given many opportunities to collaborate and communicate. I gave plenty of opportunities to think critically, though some of those opportunities were optional and students did not take advantage of them. I am aiming to incorporate the 4 C’s as much as I can from now on.

Push Boundaries with Dynamic Learning

Opportunities for Dynamic Learning

In her book, Shake Up Learning, Kasey Bell challenges her readers to, "Look at your curriculum and lesson plans, and make a list of five places where you see opportunities for dynamic learning."

I will be teaching in a new district and will be teaching 4 different classes that I haven't taught before, and I will be teaching US History in a different way. Instead of teaching all of US History in one year, I will be teaching Reconstruction to the current day in one school year. As a result of these changes, I don't have very specific answers here, but I will list some ideas.

Here are some places where I could move my students' learning from static to dynamic:

• All Classes: Each student will create a blog at the beginning of the year where they will reflect on the following throughout the course of the year:
• The effort they are putting into their projects, and the process by which they complete them
• Critical thinking or opinion questions that I pose during class
• How a particular lesson activity went - this will help give me feedback, which I need as much as my students
• How their learning connects to their personal lives
• Current events and how they are affected by the event
• Personal stories that answer questions such as, What inspires you? What is the most important thing that anyone has ever done for you? These questions could help build our classroom culture. Before doing this though, we'd have to make sure that students change the names of people they are talking about in order to retain confidentiality.
• Anything else we decide to write about!

• World History and US History: Instead of doing a handout about famous historical inventions, my students can do a Shark Tank project. We could connect the inventions to the modern day by asking local business owners who could actually be interested in buying the historical inventions to be our Sharks, which will make the experience more authentic. Students could present their inventions to them in order to persuade their audience of the importance of the invention.

• Sociology: I considered having my Sociology students create children's books that teach about digital citizenship. In addition to doing this, and to make the learning more dynamic, my students could mentor elementary students throughout the school year in order to teach them digital citizenship skills.

• Psychology: In Psychology class, students could conduct a case study throughout the year. As they learn new information, the way that they perceive their findings will change. We can reflect upon this process in their blogs.

• Economics: I think that my Economics class will provide many dynamic learning opportunities. It will be easy to find current events that we can connect to concepts in class, and students can reflect on the connections in their blogs. We could also have a classroom economy where students can earn "money" for completing classroom tasks. We can discuss supply, demand, scarcity, etc.and students will have personal experience to which they can attach their learning. Many students also have jobs, so we can discuss how the larger economy affects their job (minimum wage, unemployment, taxes, etc.).

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 14: The Dynamic Learning Model

Chapter 14 of Shake Up Learning covers the 4 C's and the ISTE Standards. Below are two infographics that I created showing the 4 C's.

These are the difficulties that my students and I have with the 4 C's, and some ways that I plan to address them:

1. Creativity - Sometimes students are afraid to be creative. Some students believe that their grade in the class might be negatively affected if they move too far outside of the box, but I have been working to change this. I give my students experience points (XP) in my gamified class for creativity. Students do not lose grade points if they choose not to be overly creative, but they are motivated to try to be creative in order to gain XP.
2. Communication - Some students do not enjoy communicating to the class as a whole. Though there are other options (small groups, using tech to speak anonymously, etc.), students must become accustomed to speaking in front of others. Sometimes communication can become a problem if students are not friendly with each other. The same can be true if students are working with their friends. Too much communication can be distracting if it is off task!
3. Collaboration - Students do pretty well with collaboration, but some students are strong leaders and others choose not to put much effort into group work. I’m aiming to solve this problem by assigning roles. In my gamified class, students are broken into teams. Each team has a warrior, a mage, and a healer. One day I could make the warrior the spokesperson, the mage the recorder, and the healer the task keeper. The next day I could switch up the roles, or create new ones.
4. Critical Thinking - Critical thinking is important, but it requires more than the minimum effort. Some students have days where the minimum effort is all that they are willing or able to put forth, or they might not understand the activity or the material, or they might have difficulty voicing their thoughts. In these cases it is difficult for students to think past the obvious and dig deeply into a concept.

As for the ISTE Standards, I am not yet familiar with them! I need to dig into the ISTE standards more, and make sure that I am really implementing them. I have helped my students meet some of them, but we have done so without being knowledgeable about them.

Some dynamic learning upgrades that I am thinking about include reaching out to our global community more through Twitter, creating a project in which my students take on an entrepreneurial role, and perhaps having my students author a children’s book about digital citizenship that they can share with the elementary students. These would be dynamic because they can change over time. As entrepreneurs, my students can alter their products. We can share on Twitter throughout the school year. The digital citizenship books could be shared with multiple classes over multiple years.


Visit Kasey Bell at Shake Up Learning to read more about dynamic learning.

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 13: Empower Your Students

I empower my students by giving them ownership. I do not refer to the classroom as “mine.” It is our classroom, and we build our classroom culture together. My students have ownership over the rules of the classroom, which we refer to as our “culture” instead of calling them “rules.” I encourage my students to speak up if they are uncomfortable with something, or if they don’t see the merit in an activity that we are learning. I am open with my students and I want them to know that they are free to question. If I can’t explain the importance of an activity or concept, why would we waste our time on it anyway?

When starting something new, I always offer just a bit less guidance than I am comfortable with. I make sure that my students know what we are trying to accomplish, but I let them work through how to get to that end goal. If they struggle individually, I am there to help them. If the whole class struggles, I can help redirect them. My goal is to help my students become fully independent learners, especially because I am teaching high schoolers who will either move onto the work force or to college. They won’t always have someone to help them with everything, so I help them find the strategies that they can use to be fully independent.

My students have a lot of choice in everyday activities and summative projects. They are given choices on topics to study whenever possible. I even offer different exam questions for students to choose from. For example, if I ask my students to prove to me that they understand how protest can lead to change, they can answer by explaining any topic that we have covered (or who knows, haven’t covered) in class. They can discuss the Boston Tea Party and how that catalyzed the Revolutionary War, or the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how that helped push toward bus integration. Both topics, when analyzed fully, answer the prompt, but they are so incredibly different. Social Studies is about understanding the repercussions of our actions, not about memorizing names and dates. My students have to include specific historical evidence such as names, places, and dates, but they do not have to memorize and answer rote multiple-choice questions to do well on a test.

It is not always easy to get a high school student to be curious about history, but framing the class by using larger themes (conflict, change, causation, movement, etc.) has helped a bit. Connecting past events to current events can pique curiosity as well. Luckily though, practicing Social Studies requires a lot of research. When a student is able to research a topic that really interests him or her, curiosity can be their propellor.

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 12: Go Global

To be honest, I need to help my students connect with the world more. I have encouraged students to seek out interviews for their National History Day project, but only a few have taken the initiative. I should provide more guidance to my students to connect with the people they would like to interview. My students have publicly published to the web, but we did not seek to share out on social media. This year I am planning to have a twitter hashtag for each of my classes where students can tweet out their work to a live audience. I can connect with other classes that are doing similar work for peer review.

I was thinking about the entrepreneurial learning tasks of students creating online businesses where they can sell real or imagined goods (which we would make obvious to our audience, of course). Perhaps this work could be published to an authentic audience, especially if the online businesses are selling real goods. Students could publish their research findings for my history, psychology, and sociology classes. Students could even poll people online for their research purposes.

It would be pretty cool to find a person that could be a primary source for a historical event that we might be studying.

Bonus Challenge: How can we go global?

This year my students will be sharing most of their work with a public audience. I haven't decided if I want to use Blogger or Google Sites yet. We will also have a class Twitter hashtag, where students can promote their work. More specifically, we could work with local businesses (Economics class), or create studies that we can work with professionals on (Psychology or Sociology class), or we can talk with authors and professional historians, or create museum exhibits--maybe a contest for the class?--for a local museum (US History, World History class).

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 11: Share Your Voice, and Share Your Story

There are four things that I am truly passionate about: my family, photography, travel, and history. I share these passions with my students through my photographs. When I travel with my family or my husband, I take plenty of photographs. I use these when we talk about the places that I have visited during class. All of my passions meld together well. Teaching is a passion of mine, but it would be empty without my other passions.

My photography: DeviantArt

Here are some of my favorite photographs!

This image shows me in the White House
with my favorite possession... my camera!

 My family in Minnesota, on our way to Yellowstone National Park.

My wedding: July 7, 2018. I married my best friend, Clint!

These are the only two photographs that I did not take.

Shake Up Learning: Ch. 10: Connect and Share

I am active on Twitter and I sometimes use Facebook. I also blog about my educational reflections on Blogger. My Twitter is used solely for educational purposes. My Facebook is personal, and much of it is private. I only post what I would be happy to share with my family, parents, students, students’ parents, etc. I make sure to keep personal information private, such as my address. I have used SnapChat in the past, but I no longer have a smart phone and as a result, I have stopped using SnapChat. Next school year I want to have a hashtag for each class and have students post to the hashtag. They can post things they’ve learned (like starters or exit slips), projects they are proud of, links to their portfolios that they will be putting together on Google Sites or Blogger, etc.

In general, I want my students to know that they have a voice that they can share with not just their friends and family, but with the world. In my very rural community, many students don't believe that they can have an impact on the world. I want them to see how far their influence can reach, and reaching out on social media in an appropriate way is the first step.