Student Goal Setting

Student Goal Setting

As I have looked through staff reflections in My Learning Plan, an area that has come up frequently is that of Student Goal Setting (4.2 Involves students in setting learning goals and monitoring their own progress).  As luck would have it, an article about this topic by Choice Literacy showed up in my email this week.  It's about student use of a writing checklist, which offers a way for students to understand what is expected.  Take a peek!

Getting Students in the Game!

-published by Choice Literacy

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”   -Aristotle  

We were looking over the student checklist for narrative writing. We were about to launch the next phase of the narrative unit and we wanted the students’ to set goals.

• ·        Do you think this is overwhelming?
• ·         Will they just quickly check “Yes” for everything?
• ·         I am trying to envision how I would use this with my class.
• ·         Do you just hand it out?
• ·         Do you check it off the first time to model it?
• ·         Can they really assess themselves? Are they aware of their strengths and weaknesses?

After discussing the checklist for some time, we decided to introduce the tool to the students. We planned to simply show it to them, describe it and then have them work in partners to closely read it. We asked them to read together and jot down on the checklist they were using:

What do you Notice?
What do you Wonder?

The students set off and we listened in, we jotted down patterns with student names. Instructional goals started to emerge. We noticed that the students were quick to identify areas of focus, they marked items they didn’t understand, and had great conversations about the difference between “Starting To” and “Yes.”

As we debriefed after the lesson, we highlighted the difference in the students’ disposition. They were identifying what they needed and leading the process of reflecting on their progress. Their voices were dominant – they were in the game.  Black and Wiliam remind us, “Our profession needs to improve the quality of the feedback we give our students and the feedback our students give themselves” When they know their role in assessment and in the process of learning they are more engaged. Student checklists or rubrics are often used to collect summative data. When we use them at the beginning or during of a unit of study the tool can collect more formative data. It can help us and students’ see what instructional steps they need next.

Research demonstrates that students need to know the expectations, where they currently are in relation to the expectations and the action steps they need to take to achieve the goal. Checklists help students see the expectation and self-assess where they are in relation to the goal. Once the student understands where he is in relation to the goal, we can help him outline the steps he needs to take to reach his goal. It also teaches the student a process he can continually use to reassess himself and set new goals.

Other Suggestions:

1) Start slow - Use just a section of the checklist, first with a mentor text and then use it with student writing.

2) Cut up the checklist (Checklist Game) and draw out one item. See if you find it in the piece of writing. Be prepared to say both where and why you think that is an example.

3) Use cutup checklist strips. Have students tape or glue them ONTO their paper when they find examples.

4) Instead of merely having kids check off “yes,” encourage kids to use tally marks on each row. This encourages kids to try that thing often — across multiple pieces of writing — and show how many times they did it (rather than just checking yes).  Some checklists have a space for the student to write an example.

Surviving or Thriving?

I saw this article and thought it was very timely, during these last few weeks of conferences, SLOs, upcoming report cards, sickness going around, less daylight, and a lot to do.  

May you thrive, not just survive!

Surviving or Thriving?

Lori Sabo

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
~Maya Angelou

I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but there is a show on the History Channel called Alone. Contestants are dropped off in a remote area where they won’t have anyone for company but themselves for as long as they can stand it. They are allowed a small pittance of supplies, which may or may not help them build a shelter, catch a fish, or ward off a wolf. The winner is the one who can survive the longest in the harsh and isolated conditions. It is brutal.

After watching a few episodes, I began to notice that all the contestants work hard to survive, but some also focus on thriving. Those who seek to thrive in the harsh climate with limited supplies seem to do better for longer.

And I can’t help but think of education.

Because let’s face it: the climate is a bit harsh right now. And many of us feel we are being asked to survive with limited resources, in our own rooms, isolated from each other. How might we focus on thriving instead of just surviving?

In the classroom: Let your gifts and talents shine.

*Do you love music? Infuse it into the day. Bring it in wherever you can, like Mr. Reed does. 

*Love drama? Bring the history book or social studies curriculum to life by acting out scenes or reliving history.

*Make time to read books that make you all laugh, cry, and wonder.

Outside the classroom: Find your tribe. There are a lot of teachers out there who haven’t lost their idealism, their enthusiasm, and their passion. We become like those we hang out with. So find people in the staff room, on Twitter, and on Facebook whose spirit of reflection, tenacity, and joy is contagious, and become part of their tribe.

At home: My husband and I kiss each other on the first day of school and say, “See you in June.” Teaching can be all consuming. An important part of thriving is letting that be a joke and not a reality. We need to eat well, sleep enough, find time to play, and feed our souls by

     *taking a walk outside,
     *listening to beautiful music,
     *getting lost in a good book,
     *learning something new, and
     *making something with our hands.

Things might seem harsh right now. But we can rise above it.

Let’s not just survive. Because unlike the people on Alone, we can all be winners who stand victoriously on day 180 knowing we gave it our all—and thrived. 

Best Practices in Instruction

As we reflect on where we are at this point in the year, I found that the tips below are not only are these good reminders on how to best meet the needs of our student learners -  but they also affirm the work we do at Houlton every day!  

Thank you for all that you do.

After you read through this, please respond with any comments or suggestions you have to support continued improvement in student learning at Houlton: Houlton Student Learning Feedback

5 Tips on How to Improve Student Achievement

by Dianne McKinley | Sep 4, 2017

Improving student achievement is one of the main goals of all teachers. Student achievement measures the academic content a student learns over a period of time. Test scores are commonly used to measure student achievement. However, if you want a more holistic perspective, a student’s character, skills, and ability to solve real-world problems should also be taken into consideration.   

1. Raise the Quality of Instruction

This is a deciding factor in improving student achievement. Teachers influence the quality of instruction by setting expectations for learning and measuring the level of understanding. A teacher should think of ways how to make learning more engaging.

Use real-life experiences, background knowledge, stories, prior learning, or videos to catch students’ interest and support the learning process. If instruction is presented in such a way that is boring, disconnected, or not easy to understand, it may be hard for students to meet the desired level of achievement. 

2. Support Teachers’ Continual Professional Learning

Student achievement is highly dependent on the quality of instruction. That is why developing the knowledge and skills of teachers through professional development is important. Teachers should be familiar with the components of great instruction, while school administrators must provide leadership, feedback, and support needed for teachers to improve their practices.

3. Use Data

Using data is an important step in improving student achievement. But, it’s not enough to just read the data. You have to do something with it. Identify strengths and devise strategies how to improve on weaknesses. Focus on “why” students are not achieving and what schools can do to support their learning without excuses.

Knowing the status of each student will guide teachers on how to differentiate instruction. Students don’t learn the same way or at the same rate. Understanding the individual needs and background of students will help a lot to increase learning.

4. Increase Rigor

Rigor refers to instruction, school work, or learning experiences that are intellectually stimulating and complex. Rigor allows students to learn more deeply. Many teachers believe that they have rigorous assignments, but in reality, they do not. Teachers often confuse difficulty with complexity.

While rigor is usually associated with difficulty, it’s important to note that lessons should be challenging and stimulating (complex), not difficult. There’s a difference between memorization and strategic reasoning. Increasing rigor both in instruction and assignments is a powerful combination that can improve student achievement.

5. Promote a Positive School Climate

A positive school climate can help boost academic achievement and outcomes for students. In promoting a positive school climate, schools allow greater equality in educational opportunities. Schools that combine academics with positive school climate tend to perform better over the long term.

When administrators and teachers collaborate to achieve a positive school climate, the whole school community will reap the benefits of an environment that is happier, safer, and more conducive to learning.

Conclusion

There are many factors that can impact student achievement. Teachers and school administrators should leave no stone unturned and explore all possible ways to increase learning, making sure that students reach their full potential.

Blog: How to raise student achievement

Measuring Growth in Reading

As you prepare for upcoming conferences and SLO work, you'll find the information below 

to be a good reminder!  

When we are discussing literacy growth, we are challenged by Fountas and Pinnell, to Look Beyond the Numbers. When talking about student growth, we not only need to share the increase of levels students should be completing, but we also need to be sharing the reading behaviors associated with these levels. As professionals, we must emphasize these behaviors in order to increase parent understanding of the great complexity involved in learning to read and write. The levels are often viewed as simply letters rather than standing for behaviors that need to be executed with proficiency and efficiency at each level in order to advance to the next gradient. We need to help parents develop an understanding that much work is required to move from one level of behaviors to another. 

Fountas and Pinnell don’t advocate talking to parents about levels, as parents may see reading levels as a competition and their child needs the highest “score” possible - which is not their purpose of the levels.  The levels are categories of expected behaviors. When talking to parents, include the language of the behaviors.  As students proress, your instruction should focus on expanding the understanding in the level,  as well as one grade level higher, using the goals and expectations and the characteristics of texts to guide your planning.  

We continue to use the monthly and quarterly progress monitoring tools that Fountas and Pinnell have created as a guidelinee. As we set goals for our students, we need to consider the number of levels each student will increase, but we also need to focus on identifying learning objectives for each student. If our focus is on increasing levels only, even for data gathering, we may push children without teaching the foundational strategies needed at each level (which is often why children may drop three to five levels in a fall assessment). The teacher's focus has to be on individual students and the appropriate reading behaviors needed at each level for each child to be successful at climbing the text gradient ladder.

Good luck with your upcoming work!
Sue

Tier 1 PBIS

TIER 1 PBIS

Responding to Unexpected (Problem) Behavior:

Despite our efforts to proactively set students up for behavioral success and to prevent problem behavior, there will still be incidents of problem behavior. A primary focus of responses for unexpected behavior is the instruction of the expected behavior.

Every occurrence of an unexpected behavior is an important opportunity to reteach the expected behavior to the student. It is important to keep the reteaching opportunity positive.

At Houlton, we spend the first six weeks of school teaching and practicing expected behaviors across all school settings. After six weeks of instruction and practice, teachers will begin using the ‘Reteaching Slip’ when unexpected behaviors occur. The PBIS team has developed a re-teaching tool that focuses on teaching and preventing future occurrences of unexpected behaviors. When students demonstrate an unexpected behavior, please follow the below reteaching steps. A copy has been put into your mailbox to put into your badge holder, or a location that can be easily referenced.

Reteaching Steps

1. Respectfully ask student to stop.
2. You are ______.  That is unexpected.  
3. What is expected?
4. If the child doesn’t answer, say “The expectation is ___________.”
5. Let’s practice the expected behavior.
6. Thumbs up or Houlton High Five

Procedure for Managing the Reteaching Slips

1. Complete online or paper Reteaching Slip (found in workroom)
2. Put in Lisa Wasson’s mailbox
3. IF the student is not yours, please notify their homeroom teacher verbally or by making a copy and sharing the electronic form.
4. Once Lisa W. has entered the data in our data tracking system she will return the slip to you. Please choose a data collection system that works best for you to keep track of your reteaching slips.

Why do we use the Expected-Unexpected Social Thinking Vocabulary?

Response:

Historically there is a tendency to think we can teach students to learn social behavior by setting behavioral expectations and then simply telling them what we expect from them or telling them when we are disappointed in their behavior. To this end, professionals and parents, upon noticing a student doing an undesired behavior, will tell the student, “That’s inappropriate.” Rarely do you hear teachers telling students their behaviors are “appropriate.”  When we interpret the meaning behind the use of the phrase “That’s inappropriate,” we usually find it is used in a manner that reflects the speaker is disappointed in the student if not upset with him or her. Therefore it is used to scold and redirect rather than to teach.

In Social Thinking, we developed Social Thinking Vocabulary terms with the purpose of directing students to think more deeply about the social situation in which they are involved. We believe that students who frequently demonstrate “inappropriate” behavior often have social learning challenges and require more direct teaching in lieu of reprimands for their undesired social behavior and recognition of attempts at desired social behavior. As Ross Greene says, “Students would if they could.” We also believe that social competencies do not result from a set of memorized social skills, but instead are a result of social awareness and the ability to adapt to the social requirements of the situation and the specific people in the situation.

The goal in all of this is to help our students learn to observe social situations more carefully and understand that behaviors are linked to others’ emotions, and how each of us feels about another's behavior affects how we treat each other. At the end of the day, when we do expected behaviors it makes us feel better about ourselves. (Michelle Garcia Winner)

The Houlton PBIS team has decided to utilize The Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts “expected” and “unexpected” in our reteaching slips. We will be introducing the terms on Hawk Talk and some of our very own Tier 3 students will be creating a video teaching our school about ‘expected’ and ‘unexpected’ behaviors. Please let the PBIS team know if you have any questions!