The Testing Success Trap

At our first teacher work day today, our Superintendent shared some data from the previous school year.  Most related to difficulties the district is facing due to budget cuts, as most public school districts are these days.  He also shared that according to a recent study by the Scranton Times our district has been identifies as having the sixth most economically depressed student population out of the 37 districts in northeastern Pennsylvania based on free and reduced lunch data.  More than 50% of our student population qualifies.

As a way to turn the discussion more positive, he then shared that the same paper has determined that our student achievement was fifth highest in those 37 districts based on scores from last year's state test results.

I have to admit that for a moment after hearing that I allowed myself to fall into the trap of feeling proud and enthusiastic about those scores.  After all, isn't it great to hear that you and your colleagues are doing a good job, especially if it's printed in the local newspaper?

Then I caught myself.

Are we supposed to pat ourselves on the back because 75% of our children could regurgitate facts that could be found on Google in less than 30 seconds?  Should we be proud that some of our students have mastered a math test that measures calculation instead of real math, or a reading test that demands little more than understanding of low-level questions on short passages, ignoring any critical thinking or research that would be needed to solve problems in real life?

Flickr/jackhynes

Is it fair to celebrate a newspaper broadcasting your success when you would argue the unfairness of printing your failure?

Too often we, as educators, fall into this trap.  I've been guilty of it before.  The culture of standardized testing is not helpful in promoting the skills which are most important for students as they move forth from our classrooms and try and succeed in life.  When we allow ourselves or our students to be defined by test scores, whether the scores are good or bad, we risk losing the argument for replacing those tests with creativity, collaboration, service learning, a focus on empathy, project based learning, critical thinking, and all of the wonderful things on which our schools should be focused.

In a time when teacher morale is suffering, we cannot allow the temptation of feeling good about succeeding on something distract us from what's really important for our students.  Because, if we, as professional educators lose sight of what's important in education, what hope is there of real reform or revolution of the system?

So, thank you Scranton Times for your kind words, but you can keep them.  Come pay me a visit during the school year when my students are really doing great things by using technology to create study guides for students all over the world, running a food drive for the local food pantry, using math and research to create a proposal for an improvement to our town park, or any of the other things we do that matter immensely more than test scores.

Those are the things of which my students and I can be proud.

Friday's Five: Improve Professional Development

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Flickr/kitsu

This Wednesday will be our first teacher work day of the year.  Before students begin on September 7th, teachers need to report for three "professional development" days.  As those days approach, I've been thinking a bit about how we can improve professional development that is sponsored by schools. Those of you who have read my blog for any amount of time know that I believe that professional development, both initiated by individual teachers to meet their own needs and initiated by schools to support teachers, needs to be at the center of any reform or revolution of our educational system.

The problem with most "professional development" is that despite often costing a great deal of money, it neither develops teachers as professionals, nor does it usually lead to any direct improvement in pedagogy or student learning.  For that reason, today's post will focus on five ways professional development can be changed so that it directly leads to positive change for students and teachers.

1. Put the focus on teachers instead of administration.  -  Too many professional development sessions are spent disseminating information from administration to teachers about things that don't directly impact learning.  I know that improved attendance record keeping, the new policy on hall passes, the latest updates to the e-mail software, and administrative tasks matter to someone, but they don't make a lick of difference when it comes to student learning.  If the majority of professional development time is spent talking about such minutia, it's unrealistic to expect it to have any major impact on students.  
2. Limit the number of initiatives.  -  A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see Dylan Wiliam speak at a conference in Hershey.  He made a point that if a district has more than 4 or 5 initiatives going on at once that they really have no initiatives, because it is unrealistic to expect such a wide focus to have any impact.  Yet, most teachers will tell you that their districts and schools have 20 or more areas of focus.  Eventually teachers stop listening because they know that the latest initiative will be replaced by something else within a year.  Identify the most important area or two of need, and keep the focus there.
3. Make it collaborative.  - Teachers can best improve their pedagogical practices when they talk, compare, share, and work together.  This can't happen while they are listening to speaker explain powerpoint slides, being lectured at, or watching a video. 
4. Make it relevant.  -  Perhaps the biggest complaint about professional development that I've continuously heard is that it doesn't directly translate to the classroom.  Teachers need to discuss strategies, practices, tools, and ideas that they can take back and use in their lessons.    
5. Don't waste economic resources & allow your teachers to become leaders.  -  Every school and every district has teachers who are doing amazing things in their classrooms.  Most of the time, however, very few people know about it.  At the same time, schools are under increasing budget constraints.  Why waste money on bringing in someone from outside to lead a session when we can expose teachers in your school to colleagues who are excelling and develop teacher-leaders in our schools at the same time?  

How do the few schools and districts that are successfully meeting all five of the above points do it?  

One district near me has a district technology expo every year where teachers who are doing a great job of teaching 21st century skills via technology are identified and asked to present hour long sessions a few times during the day to their colleagues.  Teachers are given the freedom to attend the sessions they find most relevant to their needs.  

Other schools are encouraging online Professional Learning Networks and Professional Learning Communities.  Many of my previous posts have outlined how important I think personalizing one's professional learning is through tools like Plurk and Twitter.

Another model that I really like is the "unconference."  Basically, teachers would arrive and spend the first half hour deciding what they want to learn about and how to organize the day.  Those who want to talk about certain topics would sign up for rooms and times to meet.  Those participating are encouraged to "vote with their feet."  If a session isn't doing much for them, leave the room and find a session that better fits what they are looking for.  This model is great because every attendee gets a relevant, personal experience that directly fits what they need as a professional.  

Now it's your turn.  Are you happy with your school's professional development model?  Do the sessions you attend meet your needs as a professional?  If so, what is your school doing right?  If not, what changes would you like to see?  In what other ways can we have professional development lead to a greater impact on student learning?  Leave a comment below, and pass the post on to others by retweeting, replurking, or sharing on Google Plus and Facebook so that we can learn from them as well.

Friday's Five - Things I Want to Do Differently This School Year

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.


Change is hard.  It's also necessary.  For a teacher to grow as a professional and keep from being burned out after a few years, each school year it is important to identify areas of one's pedagogy, classroom procedures, and policies that can me improved, and to change them for the better.

We often hear stories about educators who resist change by saying, "I've taught this way for 30 years, and there's no reason to change now."  I want to ask these teachers, "If you were going to the doctor for an important operation, would you feel comfortable with a surgeon who refused to use the latest laser and ultrasound technology and instead wanted to use a scalpel?"  My guess is that everybody would want the doctor who has kept up with research in his/her field and used that information to update his/her practice.  Children have the right to expect us as teachers to do the same.

Flickr/woodleywonderworks

With that in mind and with the start of my school year approaching, here are five things that I want to do a bit differently this year.

1. Give my students more freedom to work where they are comfortable. - Those blue plastic chairs in my room are uncomfortable to sit in for long periods.  I'm going to try allowing my students a bit more freedom this year to work anywhere in the room they are comfortable.  When I do my best work, it's rarely while sitting at a desk.  I type while relaxing on the couch or read while laying on the floor.  I'm going to allow my students to do the same.  As long as they are doing amazing work, I don't care where it is.
2. Snack time is whenever you are hungry. - For years I've had a designated "snack time", usually around 9:30.  I'm not sure why.  What difference does it make when students in my room have their snack?  This year, I'm going to try a policy where kids can eat whatever healthy stuff they've brought whenever they feel like it.  Maybe they'll function better with something in their stomach.  
3. Give students the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. - We do many projects and solve many problems.  I go through a great deal of effort to ensure that the problems students are faced with relate to situations in real life.  This year I want to go a step further and allow students the chance to help others who need it by incorporating service aspects.  What better way is there to learn the value of helping others at the same time as math and reading?
4. Invite other teachers in to my classroom and welcome their feedback. - I've always been happy to allow anyone who wants to come into my classroom the opportunity to do so.  It rarely happens, though.  Teachers are so swamped trying to serve their own students that it's hard to find the time. This year I'd like to actively invite others to come in and give me feedback on my lessons.  I hope that they take me up on the offer, and I hope that I receive an invitation to their classrooms as well.  That's how great conversations about pedagogy get started.  That's how a culture of collaboration develops in a school.  
5. Allow students to pursue their interests. - We have a set of reading standards.  We have a textbook that provides a bunch of short passages that allow us to teach those standards.  Rarely do the passages in the textbook interest more than a handful of students.  So, why do we use that book?  Because it's easy for a teacher to give a quiz and get a grade when all students are being assessed on the same passage.  It's not what's best for the students.  It's what's easiest for the teacher.  This year I'd like to give students the opportunity to read about the things they care about.  I'm sure I can find a way to assess whether they got the main idea, can identify a simile, and all the other standards they need to know even if they don't read what's in the text book.

Now it's your turn.  What are you going to do differently?  What are the obstacles that prevent us from changing our practices each year?  What things do you find it hardest to change each year?  Share with us in the comment section below.  Also, please pass the post along to others by re-tweeting, re-plurking (a new feature added to Plurk this week), sharing on Facebook, or sharing on Google Plus.  We'd love to hear their comments as well.   

Friday's Five - Walt Disney Quotes

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Flickr/Express Monorail

Right now I'm on vacation with my family at the Most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World.  On top of enjoying the wonderful experiences that this place provides for myself, my wife, and our two kids, I have increasingly become fascinated by Walt Disney, the man.  As I've learned more about him and read different biographies and accounts of his life,  I've come to realize that many of his core beliefs match up with some of the topics I've blogged about and believe in strongly, such as the need to teach through storytelling, the need for innovation and creativity, and that people are most productive when they are inspired by what they are doing.

Below are five quotes by Walt Disney that I've found inspirational.  I'm sure there are lots more out there.

1. "Imagination is the mold from which reality is created." - The beginning of Walt's introduction to Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland could be found in a 25 cent pamphlet that was sold during Disneyland's early days.  We need to promote imagination in our students and find ways to keep educational policy and standardized testing from forcing us to "educate" it out of them.  
2. "Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children." - This quote of Walt's can be seen inside the American Pavilion at Epcot on the lower level.  I think most of us who became teachers would agree with him.  It's probably what inspired us to pursue our jobs.
3. "All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - I'm not sure the origin of this quote, but I love it.  On one of my bookshelves at home I have a small statue with this quote on it.
4. "Around here, we don't look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - This quote of Walt's can be found at the end of the movie "Meet the Robinsons."  Walt's constant vision to the future and for finding creative solutions to problems is something we can learn a lot from in education.  
5. "That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.  They forget.  They don't remember what it's like to be twelve years old.  They patronize.  They treat children as inferiors.  I won't do that." - This quote is from Walt Disney World:  Then, Now, & Forever, a theme park exclusive book that was sold by the Disney Company.  To me, it sounds a lot like great advice for elementary teachers and politicians who make educational policy.  Stop being such adults all the time.  Allow yourself to be fascinated.  Allow yourself to wonder and search for answers along with your students.  Treat your students with respect and let them follow their dreams and curiosities instead of worrying about covering material all the time.

Now it's your turn.  Which one of the above quotes speaks to you?  Do you have another Walt Disney quote, or quote from someone else that you love?  What are your thoughts on Walt's quotes or some of the things he accomplished and/or created during his lifetime?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and pass the post along to your friends and colleagues.  We'd love to hear what they have to say as well.

Friday's Five: Great Apps for Teachers

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Flickr/shiftstigma

For the past few years, I've been resisting the temptation to upgrade my phone to an iPhone.  It's not that I didn't want one.  Anyone that knows me can tell you that I'm an Apple fan boy.  My problem is that I'm cheap.  I honestly didn't want to pay for the monthly data plan.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I broke down and my wife and I upgraded our phones.  It's a move I don't think I'll ever regret.  Like every other new iPhone purchaser, I spent the few days after buying looking for the best apps with which to load my phone.  In today's post, I'm going to share five of my favorite apps for iPhones and iPads that help me as a teacher.  This list will focus on apps that help the teacher, but it's a pretty safe bet that a future post will cover great apps to use in the classroom.  I'm sure there are many, many other great educational apps out there, so I hope you share a favorite or two of yours in the comment section when you're done reading.

1. Common Core Standards - Like many other educators in the country, I've spend plenty of curriculum alignment meetings lately flipping through pages of the new Common Core Standards.  I won't have to anymore.  This app lists all of the Language Arts and Math standards and organizes them by grade level.
2. Animoto - One of my favorite web 2.0 tools has an easy to use app that allows you to create dynamic videos from your photos.  Off course, the added benefit of having a camera in your phone or iPad allows for even easier video creation.  
3. Social Networking Apps (Plurk, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter) - If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, I'm sure you know the value I place on my Professional Learning Network.  The educators from whom and with whom I get to learn on the above four sites have been a great influence on my growth as a teacher, and continually inspire me.  Being able to access their blog posts, opinions, discussions, and comments from anywhere through the above apps is wonderful.
4. Evernote - This great app allows me to take written and voice notes and save pictures,  from anywhere I have my phone and access them anywhere I have a computer.  It's been useful for me so far this summer, and I anticipate that it will be even more useful when the school year begins.
5. TED - If you are not already familiar with TED, you need to be.  Basically, TED is a series of free, availably videos of some of the most forward thinking, interesting people in the world sharing their ideas.  The subtitle on their website pretty much sums it up:  Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.  Two of my favorite are talks on education are by Sir Ken Robinson (Schools Kill Creativity) and Dan Meyer (Math Class Needs a Makeover), but there are many, many others.  This app allows you to search and view them from anywhere.   

Now it's your turn.  I know that there are lots of other great apps out there for teachers.  What do you have on your iPhone or iPad that helps you?  What does your iPad or iPhone allow you to do as a teacher that you couldn't before?  Do you find that you use your mobile device to keep you organized, to further your learning, or a combination of both?  Please share below in the comment section, and pass the post along to others so that we can hear about their experiences as well.