Tackling Informational Text

November 2013, EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP—Tackling Informational Text

I love the holiday breaks. It is a great time to be with family and friends, eat lots of amazing foods and finally put a dent into my ever growing reading pile. The challenge becomes deciding what to read first. I know there is no way I will get to all of it so I try to prioritize the content according to what will enrich and extend my own thinking and learning the most. The November issue of Educational Leadership turned out to be a gold mind of resources on how to enrich teaching and learning with informational text. With the Common Core rollout upon all of us, and its emphasis on the importance of reading more informational text, many articles clarified what will need to change in order to prepare our students for college and/or the workforce. Here are summaries of my favorite articles:

You Want Me to Read What? by Timothy Shanahan. The new standards are rigorous and encourage more reading of informational text. In elementary school, 50% the time should be spent on informational text and increase to 70 percent by middle school.  In order for students to do this successfully, the level and type of instruction needed (eliminate?) will need to change. Informational text is organized differently and is read for different purposes, which makes us vary our reading approaches.  The outcome goal is for students to build their background knowledge in the social and natural world. “What matters is that kids get a varied diet of text.” This requires a balanced diet of reading a variety of more of both literature and informational text.

Unlocking the Secrets of Complex Text, by Mary Ehnrenworth.  This was my personal favorite and one I am using to share with staff in our next meeting. The big ideas I came away with to support implementation of the Common Core State Standard and defining what it means to read are:

“Close reading is an outcome, not a technique.”

“When we teach most text are about more than one thing, we lead them to read more closely.”

“Our job is to teach readers to expect to do this thinking work. The book’s job is to make it rewarding.”

Best practices still apply, “I Do, We Do, Ya’ll Do, You Do.

Reading work required identifies the book’s central ideas. “Chances are that this book, like so many, teaches more than one thing, and some of those things may not be obvious at first. The question readers ask themselves is, what else does this text teach?”

Analyzing the craft of reading requires the reader to ask questions. “Choosing text that make the writer’s craft visible will help students see how informational text works.”

Supporting student learning by explicitly teaching them how to develop critical stances and how to construct arguments.

“After all, the goal of reading non-fiction is to learn, and the best way to do that is to read a lot.”

“Transforming reading practices in a school requires all of us to transform our ideas about what it means to read.”

The Dazzling World of Nonfiction, by Donalyn Miller.  There is more to nonfiction than just dead presidents and whales. How to look for meaningful ways to incorporate nonfiction text into our daily instruction if we want students to read more of it.

Why Content is King, by E.D. Hirsch Jr. & Lisa Hansel.  “Simple or dense, fictional or informational, what matters most for comprehension of a particular text is whether the reader has knowledge relevant to the text.” “There really is no such thing as a general level of comprehension. The single score that a student receives after taking a reading comprehension test masks the fact that the test had a variety of passages on a variety of topics, and the average student read the passages with familiar content well, yet read those with unfamiliar content poorly.”

Starting Out: Practices to Use in K-3, by Nell K. Duke.  “Look for these seen features in primary classrooms that teach beginning reading and writing with an emphasis on informational text.” I am a big fan of writing as a reflection of our thinking while reading and to get this started early in student’s academic careers is very exciting!

What Students Can Do When the Reading Gets Rough, by Sunday Cummins. This article reminded me of the Coding Method, an effective strategy struggling readers can use at they navigate through difficult text to self-monitor their understanding. No matter what strategy you teach your students, it requires a careful teacher think aloud modelng session. This is the step I see most often not included during instruction. It benefits the majority, if not all of our students, and just think of the language it supports.

Finally, Educational Leadership always seems to support an advertisement of another must read for educators. Rigorous Reading 5 Access Points for Comprehending Complex Text by Nancy Frey & Douglas Fischer. “Call it close reading, call it deep reading, call it analytic reading—call it what you like. The point is, it’s a level of understanding that students of any age can achieve with the right kind of instruction.” Oh dear, another book to add to the pile. Can’t wait!

Putting Your Beliefs Into Action

May/June 2013, PRINCIPAL--Principals can close the achievement gap by following this six-step framework. By Christopher Wooleyhand

Whenever I read an article that truly grabs my attention and recharges my thinking I create a summary in a mini poster format to hang in inside of my office cupboards or for my data binder. Every time I open them I am reminded of the key concepts I need to fine tune the skills needed to become the lead instructional learner I am striving to be. In the Principal May/June 2013 issue I found the following article helpful in reminding me of the daily actions required by every principal.

BELIEVE – You can make a difference and connect your actions to your beliefs by having genuine concerns for the progress of all students.

2  DISCUSS – Maintain a regular dialogue that focuses on student achievement.

3  LOOK AT THE RIGHT DATA – DuFour & Marzano identified high-leverage Professional Learning Community strategies that provide structures and collaborative teams to focus on students learning.

4  MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THE RIGHT DATA – Using the results of formative assessments to make critical decisions and for students to examine their own data and set learning goals.

5  CELEBRATE YOUR COMMUNITIES DIVERSITY – Build home-school partnerships

6  BUILD TEACHER CAPACITY – Leadership that is shared is exponentially more effective when teachers and principals work collaboratively.

Here is the link to the full article for your review. https://www.naesp.org/principal-mayjune-2013-achievement-gap/putting-your-beliefs-action

Bucket Filling

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 

Carol McCloud, A GUIDE TO DAILY HAPPINESS FOR KIDS

How Full is Your Bucket? 

Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, FOR KIDS

I was first introduced to these “Bucket Filling” books at the beginning of our school year. An intermediate classroom teacher was reading one of these books to her students. I walked in for a quick walk through and noticed how intrigued each of the students were with this simple text. Observing student learning is one of my favorite aspects of my role as instructional leader and I was in awe of their responses and insights with the content of this books message.

This heartwarming book encourages students to have positive interactions with those around them and to express acts of kindness in words and deeds. More importantly it explains to them in simple prose why this thoughtfulness benefits others, but also themselves. “Bucket filling” and “dipping” are effective metaphors for understanding the effects of our actions and words on those we interact with.

The author expresses the purpose of her writing these books was “to teach young children how to be bucket fillers. As you read this book with children, use it as an opportunity to model bucket filling by filling their buckets. Tell them why they are special to you. Help them think about what they might say or do to fill someone else’s bucket.”

Word spread among teachers on the power of this book’s message and the majority of teachers read the book to their students and engage in this important conversation of being compassionate to others in words and deeds. I have been lucky enough to also read these books to students and they never cease to amaze me with their insights. I end our time together with the author’s words: “And, at the end of each day, ask yourself, “Did I fill a bucket today?” That is a question each of us can ask ourselves be we young or old.”

Unlocking the Research of English Learners

Summer 2013, AMERICAN EDUCATOR—Unlocking the Research on English Language Learners

I keep going back to three articles from the Summer 2013 issue of American Educator.  I’ve reverted from my digital ways and have printed them out to reread, highlight, and ponder whenever a spare moment or two presents itself. I consider them a must read for every educator no matter what role you are in. 

Unlocking the Research on English Learners

What We Know—and Don’t Yet Know—about Effective Instruction By Claude Goldenberg

Rather than giving the reader a list of instructional strategies on the best practices needed to teach content to our English Learners (ELs), the author recommends four important research based principals. A surprising note by the author stated there is actually little research on common effective practices with ELs, yet there are more than 5 million attending our nation’s schools!

• Generally effective practices are likely to be effective with ELs. (Core Foundation)
• ELs require additional instruction supports. (Supplemental Support)
• The home language can be used to promote academic development. (Intentional Environment)
• ELs need early and ample opportunities to develop proficiency in English (See details in second article.)

What can we do now with the limited amount of research to support our actions? The author recommends to put aside our beliefs and work collaboratively to ensure all of our students succeed. In practice, we must ensure the components of a professional learning community are in place to allow teachers the time to do the intense work that needs to be done for equitable student achievement.

English Language Development 

Guidelines for InstructionBy William Saunders, Claude Goldenberg, and David Marcelletti

In this article the authors give educators 14 ELD guidelines around four essential questions based on the findings of the again limited research.

• Global: WHAT should state, district, and school policy commit to for ELD instruction?
• Organization: HOW should ELD instruction be organized in schools?
• Curriculum: WHAT should be taught during ELD instruction?
• Instruction: HOW should ELD be taught?

Moving away from what is best to what works, as demonstrated by “careful weighing of evidence” rather than “strong opinions” of experts.

Dual Language Learners 

Effective Instruction in Early ChildhoodBy Claude Goldenberg, Judy Hicks, and Ira Lit

“At best, instruction in the home language contributes to growth in both English and home language skills; at worst, there’s no difference in English achievement but an advantage in home language achievement.” As educators we can create these settings for our young dual language learners by:

• Employing children’s home language in the early childhood curriculum.
• Comparing effective practice for DLLs and English speakers in English-only programs.
• Promoting language development in English and the home language.
• Involving families in supporting children’s language learning.
• This suggests our preschool educators can and should use the child’s native language when and where possible to support their learning by applying specific strategies to build their English language skills.

Here is a copy of the link http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/summer2013/Goldenberg.pdf .   

I hope you too have a chance to read, reread, reflect and share its contents with teachers, staff and colleagues.

More Turns, More Time, More Practice

Doug Lemov, TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION—49 Techniques that put Students on the Road to College

“Students need more turns, more time, and more practice.” I heard this quote early on in my career and it hasn't left me. I want to give the credit to either Jo Robinson or Dr. Anita Archer. Their message left educators with a sense of urgency and understanding that our students need to be more engaged in their own learning.

More than ten years later, Doug Lemov’s book Teach Like A Champion continues the conversation with more explicit techniques on what exactly student engagement looks like. Bottom line, no more hands. We just don’t have time to call on one student at a time anymore. Quite often the ones that are traditionally called on are already confident in their thinking and ability to share with others. In today’s classroom, we need to support and find those hidden gems and get them talking.

Personally, I like a busy classroom, where students are writing, listening, speaking, and my personal favorite, thinking. When I walk into a quiet classroom, my hope is they are writing as a reflection of their learning, listening to gain understanding, or just having think time. They can then turn to their designated partner and begin a conversation rich in language and vocabulary.

In his book, Lemov supports teaching and learning so teachers can unlock student’s talent and skills in the classroom. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Technique 1: NO OPT OUT---When calling on a student and they don’t have an answer, it ends with the student answering that question. Students can no longer hide.

Technique 8: POST IT—The learning target should be visible to both teacher and students and it is referred to before, during, and after instruction. (Think SIOP.)

Technique 20: EXIT TICKET—A quick check for understanding provides you with the data needed to guide your instruction.  (Did they get it or not, let’s see.)

Technique 26: EVERYBODY WRITES—An opportunity to reflect in writing their own thinking. (Writing as a reflection of their thinking.)

The classroom environment created by Lemov becomes a place where more students are allowed more turns, more time, and more practice. More importantly, they are much more engaged in their own learning. Their pathway to college becomes a mindset rather than an obstacle.

Proficiency Grading

Ken O’Connor, A Repair Kit for Grading—15 Fixes for Broken Grades

Under the old grading system an “A” would mean you have reached that standard, but how did you get there? Did you ace the test or did you hand in extra credit to make your “B” turn into an “A”? Did your math teacher and algebra teacher have the same level of consistency in what a level of achievement with a particular letter grade actually represents? Grades should be artifacts of learning, and students need to receive grades that reflect what they have actually learned.

Ken O’Connor book A Repair Kit for Grading, addresses how educators interested in examining and improving grading practices should ask the following questions. 

 “How confident am I with the grades students get in my classroom, and are they consistent, accurate, and meaningful that support learning?”

“How confident am I that the grades I assign students accurately reflect my school’s or district’s published performance standards and desired learning outcomes?”

The primary goal of a standards-based system is for all students to “meet standards.” In addition, educators must consistently evaluate their achievement using similar criteria and for grades to support learning, they must involve students in the grading process. A Repair Kit for Grading is organized into four categories that can make significant contributions to improved achievement, create positive attitudes about learning, and give teachers and administrators ways to make the repairs. 

ü  Fixes for Practices That Distort Achievement:

Include only achievement, provide support for the learner, seek evidence of achievement, determine actual level of achievement, reports absences separately, and uses only individual achievement evidence.

ü  Fixes for Low-Quality or Poorly Organized Evidence:

Organize and report evidence by the standards/learning goals, provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations, compare each student’s performance to preset standards, and rely only on quality assessments.

ü  Fixes for Inappropriate Grade Calculation:

Consider other measures of central tendency, use professional judgment and alternative reassessing to determine real achievement.

ü  Fixes to Support Learning:

Uses summative evidence, emphasizes recent achievements, and involves students in key roles in assessment and grading practices that promote achievement.

Ken O’Connor’s comprehensive Learning Team Study Guide for A Repair Kit for Grading—15 Fixes for Broken Grades is available online from ETS Assessment Training Institute at http://mymassp.com/files/ARK-StudyGuide.pdf

Focus

Mike Schmoker, FOCUS—Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning

Dr. Mike Schmoker, is passionate about school reform. “The argument of this book is simple: If we choose to take just a few well-known, straightforward actions, in every subject area, we can make swift, dramatic improvements in schools.” He encourages us to put aside the initiatives and address what is essential for student achievement and FOCUS On:

What We Teach:

A reasonably coherent curriculum that is actually taught with “essential standards in sufficient intellectual depth, with adequate time for deep reading, writing, and talking.” In 2003 Robert Marzano’s research summarized; “Curriculum may be the single largest factor that determines how many students in school will learn.” All students deserve and need a combination of adequate amounts of essential subject-area content, concepts, and topics using habits of intellectual thinking and interactive skills with authentic literacy.

How We Teach:

To ensure all students are learning, sound lessons must be taught using the same basic formula Madeline Hunter taught us years ago, but few implement consistently. Effective lessons must include a clear learning objective referred to before, during, and after instruction with specific feedback to the student on their progress towards the learning target. A teacher must model the thinking of the skill or strategy being taught. (I DO.) These “think a louds” are not funneling the learning, but demonstrating the skill or strategy being taught. Then throughout the learning the teacher provides guided practice at brief intervals to allow students to practice or apply what is being taught either independently (WE DO), or in a group setting (YA’LL DO) and finally, checking for understanding with formative assessments to guide the learning. (YOU DO.)

Authentic Literacy

This is integral to both the “what” and the “how” we teach. It is the “spine: that “holds everything together” in all subject areas (Phillips & Wong, 20101 p.41). What is needed is purposeful reading and writing in every discipline. Reading changes everything. A student needs multiple exposures to a variety of text that allows them to evaluate characters, lessons, and themes so they can learn to argue and interpret, including close reading in literature, social studies, and text.   

Elevating the Essentials by:

The implementation of the FOCUS elements must be ongoing in every team meeting and every profession development session in every school and district meeting. They must be collaboratively created by a team of teachers “working together in a true professional learning community where curriculum and lessons are continuously developed, tested, and refined on the basis of assessment results.” (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006; Schmoker, 2006).

“This time, let’s not just talk about it. Let’s all of us actually do it. Right now.” (Schmoker)

Choosing to be Great

Jim Collins & Morten Hansen, Great by Choice--Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All

“Jim Collins’ Great by Choice study shows that whether we prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more upon on what we do, than on what the world does to us.” We all make mistakes, but we can also self-correct, survive, and build greatness. I used Jim Collins’ nine years of research on why some companies flourish in uncertainty and others do not to guide my thinking on how to create a leading teaching and learning system for all students and staff.

Collins clarified that successful leaders are not bold risk takers, but observers of what is working and figuring out why it works and build upon these proven foundations. It reminded me of the work of Douglas Reeves, a noted expert on education and school reform and author of the Leadership and Learning Antecedents of Excellence Matric. Reeves work builds clarity on how good results with clear understanding of the reasons why it work is “Leading” rather than “Lucky.” Even poor results with a clear understanding of the reason is a “Learning” opportunity rather than a “Losing” prospect.

Collins work helps define how leaders can influence growth and achievement with fantastic discipline, productive paranoia, and empirical creativity. This true self-discipline requires having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult. During times of change or uncertainty they look to engage directly with the evidence and rely upon observations to determine how to best proceed with the genius of the AND, not the OR. The leaders of enduring great systems are comfortable with paradox, having the ability to embrace two opposing ideas in the mind as the same time and still retain the ability to function well.

They found extensive evidence of having both:

Discipline and Creative,

Imperial Validation and Bold Moves,

Prudence and Big Hairy Audacious Goals,

Paranoid and Courageous,

Furiously Ambitious and NOT Ego Centric,

Performance Standards with No Excuses and Never Going Too Far,

to become “Great by Choice.”

Consistent PLC’s

Richard DuFour & Michael Fullan, Cultures Built to Last--Systemic PLCs at Work

There are many challenges facing education today, and adequate funding to do what needs to be done is the topic most often discussed. Frustrating as this debate has become, I would propose it is also a very exciting time for educators to be the recipients of best practices supported by research. Focusing on what works for our students allows us to narrow our emphasis and to actively collaborate with intent to create the system of achievement for each of our students. Having more students grow, reach, or exceed their outcome goals is a humbling experience. You are providing them with the experience of success now and in their future.

The cultural shift from “what to teach” to “what should students know and be able to do” is a journey requiring change which can be more than difficult. Richard DuFour is the leading authority of Professional Learning Communities. His most recent book Cultures Built to Last, Systemic PLCs at Work supports schools to create a system where they can experience significant gains in student achievement by embracing this student learning focus. “Professional Learning Communities can play a central role in dramatically improving the overall performance of schools, the engagement of students, and the sense of efficacy and the job satisfaction of educators.”

DuFour’s thoughtful reflections in his book Cultures Built to Last aids educators to recognize there are three big ideas that serve as the core of what it means to have a systematic Professional Learning Community in your school. This isn’t a program, but a process where all educators generate a relentless focus on high levels of learning for all students, in a collaborative culture, with a collective effort, to improve practice, and drive continuous improvement. It can be exhausting and yet exhilarating to support and enhance achievement for all of our students. It is exciting to be a part of a team of educators who are embracing change for success now and in the future.

What is Your Mindset?

Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success--How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential

Of all the books I have read in the past five years, this is the one book I keep returning to. It has changed my thinking in many aspects of parenting, teaching, and now as a principal. The exciting news is this important way of approaching learning is now often integrated into many aspects of teacher professional development. Today I had the opportunity to drop in on a Math Studio session and teachers were learning how to apply this thinking with students while teaching math. The Instructional routines, The Habits of Mind and Habits of Interaction are embedded with opportunities of developing the "mindset" of how effort matters.

What is the mindset? Dweck explains, "If you have the fixed mindset, you believe that your talents and abilities are set in stone–either you have them or you don’t. You must prove yourself over and over, trying to look smart and talented at all costs. This is the path of stagnation. If you have a growth mindset, however, you know that talents can be developed and that great abilities are built over time. This is the path of opportunity–and success."

A few years after the book was published Dweck applied more thoughts with reference to education. "Teachers who strive to design challenging, meaningful learning tasks may find that their students respond differently depending on the student's assumption about intelligence. Students with a growth mindset may tackle such work with excitement, whereas students with a fixed mindset may feel threatened by learning tasks that require them to stretch and take risk."  

So what can we do as parents and teachers to support our children's growth towards their success? Dweck summarized it in the article, Even Geniuses Work Hard as follows:

•  Don't praise ability, praise effort.
•  Fast learning is not always the deepest and best learning.
• Teach the growth mindset, it's o.k. to struggle.
• Have each child set growth goals to increase a skill or learning strategies.
• Make every child stretch--don't let kids coast or be known as "smart".
• Have students monitor and chart their progress towards their goals.
•  Support students to develop an understanding their effort towards their goals makes a difference
•  Your feedback should be specific towards their effort--no more "Good job!" or "You’re smart!"
• Grade for growth and effort.

There was a saying the 1960's that went: Becoming is better than being. Dweck helps us remember; "The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to already be." 

Kimberly Miles, Lead Learner

Pink Motivation

Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us 

“Find what drives us.”  

I am always thinking about our students. What a diverse group of amazing kids. Their joys and challenges are played out in a wide spectrum of life and nothing surprises me more when I sit back  and watch them figure it out, or not. On the playground, lunchroom, morning line-up, or in the classroom they are constantly learning something. Whether it be how to share their "coat hook" in kindergarten with a new "friend", or how to agree to disagree during partner pair share discussions in math. Their mouths and minds are constantly on the go.

I picked up Pink's book Drive  to learn more about motivation and what does indeed drive us"? Some would argue it is a business book and the content is geared  more toward employees and their production in the work place. Their is some truth to that, but Pink frequently references applications for teaching and learning. His insights are often reflective on how educators can create the systems needed to motivate our students to be responsible for their own learning. I don't want to summarize the whole book, although their is an amazing recap on the web. Here is the link http://www.marshallcf.com/assets/book_reviews//Drive.pdf

Pink was asked to summarized the book in 140 characters. It audio format he stated, "Carrots and sticks are so last century. Drives says for 21st century work we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery, and purpose." It got me thinking on the importance of collaboratively building a system where students are aware of their learning targets, have a strong foundation of the importance of a growth mindset, and to develop the determination and fortitude on why it matters.