Class Project

 My 4th grade class is doing a project where they are charged with designing a better grocery bag.  We have been learning about why people improve different products and how they go about getting ideas.  The class is trying to find out people's opinion on the different types of grocery bags and the concerns they have.  Please take a moment and fill out the this google form, Grocery Bag Survey.
It will only take a few minutes.  I am posting this on my blog so that we can get a larger survey sample.  Thank you for your help with this project.  Be sure to check back and see what a class or curious minds can create!

The Power of the Puzzle

This year, my 4th grade class has been quite a challenge.  Many of the activities and innovations that I have used in the past have not been as successful as they had been.  It has been frustrating to say the least.  I began the year ready to try some new ideas while trying to think outside the box.  My plan was to continue the momentum that I had from the previous year.  This was my first mistake.  Every class is a unique entity that acts and responds differently than any other.  I have to admit that this school year, my connection to my class has not been easy.  During a conversation with a trusted colleague, I was reminded of a tool I have used in the past as a way to understand the personality and learning style of my students.  The jigsaw puzzle.

For years, I have had my students work together to complete a 250 - 500 piece jigsaw puzzle.  It may seem like an unimportant task to focus on in the classroom, but it is amazing what I can learn about my students as they attempt to complete this project.

Often my students, this year in particular,find  jigsaw puzzles an overwhelming task.
Slowing down and struggling through is difficult for many of them. I can see the trepidation in their eyes as they approach the puzzle.  Often these students spend a great deal of time simply sorting through the pieces without really accomplishing anything.  They would rather watch another student do the work while they distract him by moving puzzle pieces around the table. These are the same students who show extreme frustration when they encounter a difficult math problem or a longer writing assignment.  The student who has a difficult time organizing the puzzle pieces, and puts a few pieces together here and there are also the students who have a difficult time organizing their work and personal belongings. How a student works on the puzzle mirrors how that student relates to school work and other parts of his or her life.

Working with my students as they work through their own individual barriers in completing the puzzle allows me to help them with the skills they need in order to complete many of the academic challenges they face in school.

Now that I have dusted off the jigsaw puzzle in my class, I am thankful for the reminder to once again use this powerful tool.

Have you used jigsaw puzzles is your class?  Please share your experiences!

Person (Professional) Learning Network - PLN

This summer I have begun work with a program through the Lutheran Schools Association of NY called Future Leaders Academy.  I am honored to be part of this group of Lutheran Educators who feel called to explore leadership roles within Lutheran Education.  Many of our assignments are of the reflective type and I will be sharing those reflections on this forum.  It is helpful to me to share my thoughts and look back on my growth and progress.  Perhaps I can gain insight from others who read my comments or inspire others to spend time reflecting on their own.

The members of the cohort were asked to consider creating a PLN for themselves.  This is referring to a personal (or professional) learning network.  A PLN is a way to personally and professionally make contact and build relationships with other educators throughout the world.  Through these relationships, there is collaboration and sharing of ideas.  These connections can open up your mind to new ideas and the relationships can be a great source of support. For more information on a PLN click here

This past year, I have been working on trying to create my own PLN.  The use of social media has been essential in this endeavor. Using twitter to connect with other educators has truly changed the way I teach.  Working in a small school can be isolating.  Twitter has allowed me to interact with people I never would have had the opportunity to connect with.  Participating in twitter chats have given me the sense that I am connected to a greater community where my voice can be heard and I can give and receive support. The connections I make and the resources I have been exposed to have grown exponentially.

I have tried to get some of my colleagues to get on board using twitter and some have begun to dapple in its potential. It can be intimidating if you have never used this powerful resource, but I encourage educators to not dismiss this as frivolous "social" tool.  Connecting with the world while having a purpose of growth and collaboration  can be truly transformative.

I wonder what experiences other educators have had.  Please share your thoughts.

Summer Reflection

Now that I am deep into summer mode, it is time to  begin preparing for the next school year.  Before I can do that though I feel I need to put last year's experience to rest with a bit of reflection.

Last school year was an exciting year for me and I hope my students.  Together we tried new was of teaching and learning.  Some ideas were met with great success, some were not, and some we realized simply needed more development.  When evaluating our year together, I asked myself these 3 questions:

1) What should I start doing that I was not able to do last year?
2) What should I stop doing that did not work?
3)  What should I continue doing that worked well?

1.  The one thing that I know I need to work on is formative assessments of my students.  I need to come up with a system that works for me that not only allows easy assessment, but also to share those assessments with my students as well as work with them setting learning goals for themselves.

2. I need to stop trying to do too many new things at once.  Although I work well on the fly, my students need more structure in order to feel secure in what they are doing.

3.  I will continue to bring fun into the classroom while inspiring my student into independent learning. I will continue blogging and having student's bring their own device into class as a way of giving my students confidence in having their own voice in the world and responsibility for their own learning,

At the end of the school year, I asked my students to list 6-10 words that described our year together.
Below is a word cloud I created with their words.

Blogging...a Reason to Keep Writing

After a great deal of effort, our student blogs are finally online!  There were many delays as we tried to have all the students publish their blog posts at the same time.  With the help of some parents, we did some promoting of the blogs on social media and the students became very excited about the feed back they received.  They continue to check on their comments and page views often. Check out our Student Blogs!

As I had hoped, the idea of blogging has given my students an authentic reason to be writing.  It has given them a platform to use their voice even when they are trying to discover what that voice might be.  I have students who are writing about our school, sports they participate in, video games they love, fan fiction, families and stories to share.  They continue to ask for time to work on their blogs throughout the week.  Some have even been working on them at home, without being assigned to do so!  It is exciting to see the fire that has been ignited within them.

I have also begun using Google docs for my students' other writing assignments.  I began using this tool as a way for me to read and comment on the writing of a student who broke her leg and was not able to climb the stairs to our classroom.  It offered me a way to conference with this student during the writing process without being in the same room.  It was so successful, I began using it with the rest of my students as well.  This has led to some unexpected benefits.

First of all, as my students are writing, I am able to comment and keep them on task.  Knowing that I am able to join them on their document at any moment, they are more focused on their writing.  I also have time to focus more on my student's writing.  I have access to these documents whenever I have the time to read them as well as I can comment on all of my student's writing during our writing time in class.

The most surprising reslut of using Google docs has been my students' desire to keep writing even during our winter vacation!  My students had just turned in a project before vacation and I had decided not to give any work during their time off.  Several students came to me and asked if they could work on their writing at home now that they had access to their documents through Google docs.  That is a request I have never heard as a teacher and I have to admit, it lights a fire within me to find new ways to use these tools in my classroom.

I am excited to expand my use of Google tools with my students!

Have you used Google tools in your classroom?  I would love to hear about it!

Student Blogs...Coming Soon

It has been awhile since my last post. The Christmas season has come and gone and school is getting back to normal.  I am sad to admit that I did not meet my goal of getting my students blogging online by the end of 2014.  However, I am not discouraged because we are only days away of letting the world hear what we have to say!  This past week my students have spent time setting up the look and layout of their blogs, and I have to admit it has been very exciting. They are learning how to access them from their ipads, tablets, ipods, and smartphones. But most importantly, they have been writing, writing, writing.  It has been fascinating to see how focused they have been on their writing.  Having an authentic purpose for their writing has made an enormous effect on the length and quality of their writing.  I see them completely focused and taking responsibility for their work.  Several students have written more than one post and show no signs of slowing down.  They are all very excited to see how many people read their blogs and are hoping to have people comment on what they post.

We have decided to wait until everyone is ready so that we can publish together.  I expect to have our first posts published by early next week.  Stay posted....


Have you had experience with student blogs?  I would love to hear about other classroom blogging experiences.

Choosing Their Own Voice

Recently, our 4th grade class finished reading the book Rules, by Cynthia Lord.  The book is about a young girl who has a younger brother with autism.  The young girl, Catherine, has a loving relationship with her brother, but has a difficult time with the way others see him.  She is protective of him and at the same time embarrassed.  During a visit to her brother David's OT clinic, she befriends a boy who is confined to a wheel chair and is unable to speak.  He uses a communication book which allows him to point to words in order to have a conversation.  At the same time Catherine is trying to make friends with the "cool" girl who moved in next door. She is torn between her brother, her new friend who can not speak, and pretending they don't exist in order to impress her new neighbor.  As we read this book, we focused on the question: "What does it mean to have voice?"  

After we finished reading the book, I gave my students a communication book of their own with words that I chose for them.  They were not allowed to add words of their own to the book, but their friends could.  In the novel, Catherine adds to her new friends communication book so that they could have conversations about things that were important to her.  My students also had to rely on others to give them words.  

After some time, I asked them questions that they had to answer using their books.  They agreed that it was a fun activity, but also very frustrating not to be able to say exactly what they wanted to.  I tried asking them questions that they would have difficulty answering with the words I had given them.  Earlier that day our chapel message was about being an ambassador for Christ.  My students really took this lesson to heart, so I asked them how they could be ambassadors for Christ.  Knowing that I did not give them the words that I would expect them to use to answer this question, I expected them to be frustrated.  To my surprise, they all flipped to the back of their communication books, where I had left blank spaces for their friends to add words.  Each one of them had the words, Christ, God, and Love!  They chose to add these words to each others books so that they could communicate better, not the words, video games, One Direction, or Mindcraft.  When they contemplated the need to have their own voice heard, they chose the words: Christ, God and love.They never cease to amaze me!