educational goals

iPads in the classroom: embedding technology in the primary curriculum

Mar 25

As all of our schools wrestle with the technological revolution and application to classroom instruction educators continue to try and transcend the chasm from digital immigrant and try and develop classroom strategies to meet the needs of our digital natives. Today’s classroom teachers are digital immigrants and must develop literacy in technology to meet the needs of these students.

Digital Natives are the generation born during or after the general introduction of digital technology. Digital Natives have an inherent understanding of digital technologies, as they’ve been integrated into their lives since early childhood. They are part of a tech-savvy generation at the forefront of technological progress and want to be connected when they wish, from anywhere.

Almost as soon as they can walk, children these days are using iPads, iPhones and all sorts of mobile devices. Most three and four year olds are now technologically savvy, using digital technology at home, in school, and on the go. Using the web site to play games, learn language, math, and reading skills, take pictures and listen to music. This means that a burgeoning number of children are well versed with the Internet and the hardware they need to access it, well before they even start school.

iPads and iPods are influencing all areas of learning in David Andrews’ classroom. He reveals how he’s using the iPad in the following article from Teacher Network. Click here to read about his amazing technology journey and how he is using iPads in his primary classroom to build and control a ‘vehicle’ using a variety of online apps.

New Common Core standards will focus on critical thinking over memorization

Feb 27

With the onset of the Common Core teachers in classrooms all over the country are expecting their students to do more than calculate the correct answers in math class. Students are expected to work through problems and demonstrate how they arrive at answers. After conferring with classmates, they also must critique the reasoning of their peers.

Math instruction will be infused with Common Core, academic standards that are set to hit California classrooms in the 2014-15 school year. The Common Core guidelines were developed by a nationwide consortium of educators and other officials. They are designed to emphasize critical-thinking skills over rote memorization and better prepare students for college and career. No more multiple-choice answers, the whole point of Common Core is to support teachers to prepare students for college and beyond.

Schools throughout California, in private and public institutions, are working to incorporate the new benchmarks into daily lessons in time for the statewide launch, which is set for fall 2014. The shift will drive systemic changes in instructional practices and outcomes from kindergarten through high school. The overarching goal of Common Core is to transform how students are taught, particularly what they must do to master math, English and other subjects.
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12 Habits of Mind

Jan 31

As we begin the steps of implementing the CCSS (Common Core State Standards) schools have been setting foundational understandings for teachers to ensure they are prepared to teach our 21st Century Learners. We have addressed best practices like Marzano’s 9 strategies for the teaching profession, ELL strategies, 21st Century skills. and technological improvements. At Grace we are also working to ensure our students have the needed foundations needed to become 21st Century learners. Over the last three years we have implemented PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support), and are now looking at Art Costa’s Habits of Mind as a needed foundation for tomorrows learners. There is no one pedagogy, book, or computer program that will help us become better systems thinkers. Instead, the complexity of our worlds demand that we develop “habits of mind” to intentionally use systems principles to understand the complexity of everyday situations and to design for desired futures. The 12 Habits of Mind are:

Sees the Whole: sees the world in terms of interrelated “wholes” or systems, rather than as single events, or snapshots;

Looks for Connections: assumes that nothing stands in isolation; and so tends to look for connections among nature, ourselves, people, problems, and events;

Pays Attention to Boundaries: “goes wide” (uses peripheral vision) to check the boundaries drawn around problems, knowing that systems are nested and how you define the system is critical to what you consider and don’t consider;

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Habits of Mind and the Common Core

Jan 28

“Habits of Mind are the characteristics of what intelligent people do when they are confronted with problems, the resolutions of which are not immediately apparent.” (Costa)

The mission of the Common Core State Standards is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our children need for success in college and careers.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) encourage the highest achievement of every student by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level through an integrated standards-based system of education in which both academic content standards and “Habits of Mind” standards are an essential part of the whole.

Start the New Year by Flipping Your Classroom!

Jan 02

Students say “flipped learning” classes are still the exception, not the rule. But when done right, they make a course both more challenging and more enjoyable.

I know that I have written about this teaching strategy before but as we begin 2013 it’s time to get serious about focusing on learning rather than teaching. It’s time to make those educational resolutions to improve student success in your classroom. A great starting place would be flipping!

As a teacher my self I can relate to this excerpt from the eCampusNews article:

And Freeman always received great reviews from students, even though 17 percent routinely flunked his class—a failure rate he considered “gruesome.”

Freeman knew what was wrong: His students weren’t adept at applying information in a new context to solve problems, and he told them so. But one day, a student threw the ball back in his court. He just wasn’t doing enough to prepare her for the tests; she needed his help to practice.

“I thought, I am so busted,” Freeman said. “She is right. That still rings in my ears.

Common Core and the Use of Technology

Dec 18

At the heart of standards-based education lie academic content standards. Content standards specify what students should know and be able to do, typically by grade level. By extension, they also specify what schools should teach. Over the years different states developed their own academic standards that didn’t necessarily align with those found in other states. With the adoption of national Common Core Standards the United States is taking the first step in ensuring that our country has aligned rigorous standards for all students. Over the next couple of years all of the states will be moving towards aligning curricula and assessment to these standards. Along with the changes required in curriculum and textbooks comes the need to change assessments as well as the way we asses our students achievement both formatively and summatively.

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. Ideally, these standards are rigorous and based on widely held agreements about the educational goals of the system.

FOCUS ON TEACHING OR LEARNING … the top three indicators of student mastry

Dec 08

When I went to college to become a teacher the program was largely about learning to teach. How many seasoned educators can relate to the following story:

A few years ago, my principal called me into his office and explained that too many students were failing my language arts class. I deflected his comments as no fault of my own.“They’re not putting in the effort it takes to master the content.”

How many of us have had similar conversations and responded the same way? Saying things like they aren’t trying … are lazy … don’t have the basic skills … didn’t meet deadlines … need to learn responsibility. There is often truth to these statements. But I have come to believe that great teachers accept responsibility for motivating their students. The most effective educators establish an environment where kids not only want to succeed but feel that they can. They focus on learning, rather than focusing on teaching.

Research indicated that the top three factors related to student learning are 1) the quality of the teacher, 2) effective instructional practices, and 3) student engagement.

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National Assessment of Education- 2011 Results for Private Schools

Oct 08

Our school recently participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for reading and mathematics. NAEP is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in core subjects at grades 4, 8, and 12. Several different breakdowns of private school results are available for the 2011 results, they are Lutheran, Catholic, Conservative Christian and other Private Schools. For reference, private schools make up 25% of the nation’s schools and educate a bit over 9% of our youth so measuring and comparing student achievement from this population is statistically relevant when looking at student progress.

In 2011 Students from private schools on average outperformed students from public schools in mathematics and reading achievement at both grades 4 and 8. Students from Lutheran, Catholic, and Conservative Christian school on average performed higher than public school students. The graph below compares student achievement from the various sub groups.

An annual report reveals that student-owned mobile devices, including tablets, are on the rise

Sep 07

As we begin this school year, there continues to be a need for our schools to change the way we foster learning in this generation of students. Our students are vastly different than the students of 5 or 10 years ago, their needs are changing rapidly because of the ever increasing technological advances, social media, educational programs, informational technology and the accessibility of devices to access the internet. These 21st century learners, or digital natives live and interact with their world in vastly different ways that their parents or teachers who are digital immigrants. The article below was written by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor of ESchool News and shares some statistical information supporting the changing needs of students and the need for our educational system to change to meet their leaning needs.

More and more students own mobile devices, including tablets, and indicate a strong desire to use those personal learning tools in school to increase collaboration and access to resources, according to the annual Speak Up Survey, which is facilitated by Project Tomorrow.

“Students, perhaps without realizing it, are already seeking out ways to personalize their learning,” according to the report. “Looking to address what they perceive as deficiencies in classroom experiences, students are turning to online classes to study topics that pique their intellectual curiosity, to message and discussion boards to explore new ideas about their world, or to online collaboration tools to share their expertise with other students they don’t even know. Students now expect in their learning lives the same types of personalized interactions that adults already experience in our everyday lives.”

State Schools Chief Torlakson Announces Plan to Implement Common Core State Standards Presented to Governor and State Legislature

Aug 02

Excerpts from a press release from the California Department of Education, March 2012

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Systems Implementation Plan for California was presented to executive and legislative branches of state government.

Standards define the knowledge, concepts, and skills students should acquire at each grade level. The CCSS were developed through a state-led initiative to establish consistent, clear education standards for English-language arts and mathematics across the nation. The standards are research-based and internationally benchmarked—i.e., they are informed by the practices of academically high-achieving nations around the world. The CCSS are designed to prepare students for success in college and careers not only in the nation, but in the competitive global economy.

The CCSS Systems Implementation Plan for California describes the major phases and activities in the implementation of the CCSS throughout California’s educational system. The first phase involves increasing awareness of the CCSS, introduces the initial planning system to implement it, and establishes ways to collaborate with interested parties. The second phase outlines a transition period by building resources, assessing needs, establishing new professional learning opportunities, and expanding collaboration between stakeholders. The third phase will include the implementation of new professional learning support; fully aligned curriculum, instruction, and testing; and the integration of these elements for all students.

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Janie Andrich

21st Century Education