EdCamp Chicago Review

On Saturday Sept 26, I traveled to Libertyville and joined almost 200 fellow teachers, coaches, admins, and learners for a teaching conference with absolute no agenda. EdCamp Chicago! I was excited to see how a true EdCamp works.  The day was wonderful and I walked away with so many take aways from each session.  In addition to the knowledge I gained, I also realized how twitter has added a new level to my professional development.

Shawn Mckusker got the day rolling with some inspirational words and explained the rules of edcamp. Basically, we build the agenda, no PowerPoints, no sage on the stage, and vote with your feet! Then, we were invited up to the mic. Once you had an idea for a session you would grab a post-it note and share your idea to the group over the microphone. Sharing on the mic is a key collaborative piece for several reasons. 

• This sets the stage for the type of discussion that will go on. 
• It ensured two sessions were not the same. 
• It allowed you to see who proposed it since, informally they would start the discussion. 
• It was also great to start mentally setting up your schedule for the day. 

Person after person scurried up to share what they wanted to learn or something they wanted to share. There were so many great choices! I headed up to the mic to share my ideas of “Creating Growth Mindset with STEAM activities” and “Standard Based Grading.” Then, an EdCamp organizer takes your post-it and adds it to a google doc to give you a time and room number. By having someone add the sessions to a google doc, this helps to put similar sessions together and to ensure sessions in the same content area are not scheduled at the same time. Also, you had the doc to refer back to as you traveled from session to session.

FIRST SESSION: Growth Mindset and STEAM

Once everyone was finished and the agenda was filled for the day, we began to break into sessions. I hurried upstairs to a room full of people ready to talk STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). I led the discussion and everyone shared wonderful ideas. Here are some highlights. 

Highlights:

• STEAM isn’t all 3D printers
• Failure creates learning
• Many teachers are doing this after school and at lunch, but it needs to be in the curriculum.
• Also, there is a need for this in the community in addition to sports offered.
• Cool tech tools are the site Sratch for coding, Khan academy coding, Makey Makey, Osmo, Lego robots.

It was great to facilitate my first EdCamp conversation. I was also able to be meet Lucy Gray (@elemenous), who I have used as a resource through twitter, diigo and goggle+. I also connected with Cathy Lannert(@cathyl4) and Ben Kuhlman (@bkuhl2you) who are doing great things with STEAM. 

SECOND SESSION: Student Leadership Opportunities

Next, I was off to share and gain ideas at “Student Leadership Opportunities.” This session was a well rounded group of educators trying to create students leaders and others shared how they have created student leaders. I was able to share about iSWAT (I’m A Student Willing to Assist with Technology), Ambassadors of Knowledge (AOK), and Pit Crew. Before I could explain about the upcoming SIT Conference in February Amy Lamberti, the co-chair of SIT began explaining it. It was so great to be in the company of these great educators who have created and expanded opportunities for students!

Highlights:

• Creating student leaders creates a growth mindset
• Students need ownership in their classroom
• Teachers have to be able to give up control so students have the freedom to lead.
• "Leader in Me" school based on text "Leader in Me" by Stephen Covey
• Students run parent meetings to teach them technology
• Sit Conference
• Teaching Kagan Structures
• ISWAT - Student Club that stands for “I’m a Student Willing to Assist with Technology”

LUNCH: Time to connect!

In essence I attended this EdCamp by myself, but there were plenty of familiar faces from twitter.  So at lunch I took the opportunity to meet Joy Kirr. Joy was such an inspiration for getting genius hour off the ground in my class.  Her influence is still spreading through my district. We had a wonderful lunch conversation. She even opened my eyes the list feature on twitter! I was excited to organize the people I follow. If you are new to lists like me, go check them out!

Session 3

Gamification

In this block of time I decided to split between gamification and coaching collaborative. @QueenCarnduff and @MrMatera shared their success with gamification and were a great resource for questions.

Highlights:

• Gamification is great for intrinsic motivation.
• Engages students
• Start small with one unit
• Student are motivated by XP points!
• 3dgamelab.com
• All the resources can be found here!

Coaching Collaborative

Even though I was getting so many ideas from gamification, I wanted to learn from fellow coaches, so I headed to a session called “Coaching Collaborative.” It was great to meet some twitter friends face to face here, too! Many of the issues and solutions shared were very applicable to me and I walked away with great ideas to enhance my coaching practice. 

Highlights:

• Resources to help teachers create personal technology plans
• #educoach twitter chat on Wednesday at 9pm
• IL coaches hastag - #iledcoach
• Using Voxer, Periscope, or Glide to connect with others

A few twitter friends were in the room and I was able to connect with many more people. It helped me develop my iCoach twitter list! Check it out if you would like to connect with other coaches. 

Session 4: Standard Based Grading

I closed the day with a talk on standard based grading. I proposed this session, so I kept the conversation rolling. The conversation was nonstop! It was great to hear success stories and struggles. I gained great perspective from this talk. 

Highlights:

• It looks different in each class- STEM vs Flower classes.
• This will take time! The process will grow and change along the way.
• There is a human element to grade “calculation.”
• Focus on the words, not the numbers.  Use the word “Meet” instead of 3 as often as possible. 
• Charts and student reflection help the students track their learning. Big thanks to Morgan Aiello for sending me so many great resources she uses with her students.  

So, we went from no agenda to a day busting with learning. Here is the final agenda and notes from each session. Check out my twitter lists for great new connections. As you can see, this was an awesome experience. I would recommend that everyone attend an EdCamp. I can’t wait until the next one to CONNECT, LEARN, SHARE, and GROW!

It's been awhile

Whoa! It has been awhile since you have heard from me. To say life has been busy is an understatement!  Since I have blogged last, I have had an adorable son. Little Will was welcomed into the world in February. It has been great to relax and enjoy my two children!  Gwen loves being a big sister.  

Family wasn't the only big change. After 12 year of teaching, I have taken a position as an instructional coach in my district. Hence the name change of my blog. (Oh my twitter changed as well. You can find me @JennyLehtosky.) I wanted to make sure it was clear that I would be sharing on a variety of topics, not just science, although it is still a passion!

This also seems like a perfect time for some reflection. To learn and grow, you have to think about where you have come.  

I can’t believe how fast 12 years of teaching went. 12 years!  After that long, I am comfortable to say that I can consider myself am expert at my job.  I may not know everything, but you better believe I will find out if I don’t.  I’ve worked very hard and that is paying off. I am ecstatic about my new opportunity, but of course if comes with anxiety.

Being the newbie reminds me of becoming a parent two years ago. This sweet little girl made me a mom.  

Talk about a humbling experience.  After having a successful 10 year career, I was pretty confident in pretty much anything.  But, becoming a parent you realize quickly what you don’t know. It really sends you back to the first year of your career.  Questioning yourself, making mistakes and overreacting, just like a first year teacher.  But we seem to have the parenting thing down, most days, and went ahead and welcomed number two. 

Now I find myself in a new role and the newbie feelings start flooding back. Will I cut it?  Will I keep up with the ever changing technology? Um, where is the bathroom in this building? 

I have to say, I think we were doing a pretty good job with these too cuties, so I think my next newbie roll will be successful! Look out, there’s a new iCoach to assist you! I'm excited to learn, grow, and share my experiences. 

Weaving the Fabric of CCSS with NGSS

As my district’s science department is in full swing of implementing NGSS and aligning our instruction with standards based grading, the discussion of implementing the Common Core Standards continues to arise.  While tackling a new curriculum that is developed from scratch, it seems overwhelming to then include the Common Core Standards as well.  However, creating lessons to meet both set of standards can seem overwhelming, the Common Core Standards create the building blocks to reaching the intricate pieces of the Next Science Generation Standards.  The key is to use the Common Core Standards to reach Next Generation Science Standards.The connection between the CCSS and NGSS can be found at the bottom of each set of Next Generation Standards.   

I have used the ELA and Math CCSS to help my students achieve success with the science standards. With the help of colleagues, I designed a challenge based unit to address the areas of Human Impact and Weather and Climate in the NGSS.  The CCSS and google applications gave my students the resources and building blocks to reach the standards. Here are some examples of ways I used the CCSS to guide my NGSS instruction. 

ELA CONNECTION

After learning about weather and climate, the students had to create and implement a solution to reduce human impact on climate change (MS-ESS3-3).  Once the students have chosen a solution, they needed to create guiding questions.  Using CCSS WHST.6-8.7 and WHST 6-8.8, the students created their own questions and conducted research using the google research tool. They gathered evidence from multiple sources to discover meaningful facts to support their solution. To prove their solution would impact climate, they created a chain reaction chart that gives evidence to how their solution will affect climate change.  Here is one example of the chain reaction chart. 

To reach standard MS-ESS3-4, the students needed to cite textual evidence to construct a solid argument to support their solution using CCSS RST6-8.1. The students found sources, again using the google research tool, to fit their topic and organized the evidence in a chart in google classroom that is shared with the group and myself.  Throughout the process, I can see their progress and monitor their evidence. Once their evidence is organized, they can put it together to construct their argument. Check out this example.

MATH CONNECTION

Having a degree as a reading specialist causes me to lean toward the reading side of the Common Core, but math is such a significant part of science. Science gives the students many opportunities to reason abstractly and quantitatively (MP.2). Using the math standards, some students analyzed the school and district power bills to determine how it can be lowered. One group worked to get motion sensors installed into the school bathrooms. They will monitor if it lowers our energy use by analyzing next months power bill.  Another group wants to reduce the amount of waste at our school by using reusable silverware.  The students had to compare prices of different sets of silverware and create expressions to determine which set would be more cost effective, which aligns with Math Standard EE.B.6. Then, they had to go a step further and create a profitable fundraiser to purchase the silverware. Both of these math applications allowed the students to reach MS-ESS3-3 to apply a scientific principles to measure and monitor a way to minimize human impact on the environment. 

ASSESSMENT

Since we are just starting to transition to standard based grading, my department questions assessing the common core standards as part of our system. I follow the principle that you need to explicitly teach it to fairly assess it. If students have not had a chance to learn and practice a concept, then it should not be assessed unless they are able to do so. However, this does not need to be done in the science classroom. By working with the ELA teacher, you can get a sense of the CCSS that have been taught. Often if they do not know how to meet the CCSS, they will do poorly reaching the full depth of the NGSS.  For example, they will not be able to construct a solid argument with evidence.  In my class, we do explicitly practice pulling evidence from informational text and collecting scientific data, so I feel confident assessing my students in that area. Also, many of the CCSS are naturally assessed when assessing NGSS.  

When the Next Generation Standards and Common Core State Standards are intricately webbed together, they create a logical patchwork that makes the work of the students purposeful. The students benefit from real world application and have truly experienced the process of conducting research to implement a goal. While not all solutions were implemented, the knowledge gained through this process is immeasurable.

Augmented Reality

I love learning about new technology but I have to be able to implement it into my classroom with a purpose.  Who has time to implement things that are just for fun? When I first saw augmented reality through the Aurasma app, I thought it looked awesome. What student wouldn’t like to look at a 3D spaceship from a flat image, but what are they learning? How does this meet the standards?  I was hesitant as to where it would fit into my teaching style.  Well, I just wasn’t seeing the true potential and thinking about side the box!

Weeks later, with the help of an iCoach, I began to see the true potential. It can engage the students and truly bring their images to life! I used it in a way that only took two days and allowed the students to synthesize their knowledge of molecules. The students built molecules and used their model as the trigger.  This led to a video they created explaining their molecule.  Then the students completed a gallery walk to view their classmate’s auras. The students were highly engaged and I could asses their knowledge on standard MS-PS 1-1 (Develop models to describe the composition of simple molecules and extended structures). 

This is only the ground level of where you can take this.  I can see the endless possibilities of this type of application and I believe this technology will just get better and better.  This year alone, the number of apps for AR has exploded.  I’m excited to explore the possibilities! 

Video Journal and Reflection

The process of student learning is just as important as the outcome, but students are not always aware of their thinking throughout the process. Metacognition is a difficult concept for middle school students to grasp. In an effort to make my students more aware of their thinking, I had my students make a video journal to document their thought process and improve their metacognition in our recent project.

I was assessing the students on NGSS MS-PS2-2. The standard asks the students to “Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of forces on the object and the mass of the object.” To meet this standard I asked the students to create a station activity for their classmates to complete that proves force and mass will effect an object’s motion. I wanted the students to realize how their ideas change to meet their goal as they try out their ideas, so I asked them each day to video their discussions. I used the guidelines below to help guide them with their video clips each day.  

I had to emphasize the fact that for these videos, I do not expect perfection.  I told them that I want to see things that don’t work and you don’t have to rerecord if you didn’t say or do something perfect.  I explained that I wanted them to see their trials and errors and how they fixed them and these video are only for you and me. At the end, I asked them to put the clips together and watch them. 

As I watch the clips, I could see the students realize when their ideas didn’t work and automatically think of a way to make it work. After watching their videos, they created thoughtful reflections on their process and what they could do differently. I am excited to continue having my students create these videos as they get more comfortable with the process of recording themselves and become more aware of their thinking.     

       

Differentiation: My Eye Opening Moment

Differentiation can be overwhelming.  As an educator, I’m constantly asking myself if I’m doing enough to meet my students’ needs and balance my time. Majority of the time, I worry about differentiating for my lowest students so they will understand the content.  Today, as I grade some projects, I saw my efforts pay off in an unexpected way.

My students are wrapping up the first part of our Earth unit.  Their project was to construct an explanation of the history of Earth based on evidence (NGSStandard MS-ESS1-4). I created a self paced unit allowing each student to work at their own pace to complete activities that helped them learn about the history of Earth and collect evidence. This allowed me to pull groups that needed individual help.  At this point in the year, I have a good understanding of what activities the students will be able to do on their own and which students I will need to assist. As I grade the final projects with the rubric below, it was very clear when students understood the topic.

History of Earth Rubric

In this first example, this group did well.  They followed the instructions and received an A on the project.

Blend Space History of Earth Student Sample

In this second example, this student was working on her own and was able to truly demonstrate her depth of knowledge and the research she had done for this project. 

Stop Motion History of Earth Student Sample 2

After being blown away by this project, I started thinking about the need to differentiate for high students to get them to reach their full potential.  It was the motivation I needed to keep making activities for the students that give them freedom and choice to demonstrate the full scope of their knowledge.  

Here are some of the things I did to foster this creativity.

• The students have the freedom to present their knowledge in any way they feel comfortable.  
• A self paced unit of activities gave students a guide to pull  just the necessary information or gave them the resources to go deeper into the topic.
• Each student was given the same opportunities and have the choice to take it to the necessary level. 

Here is what this student did to create such an amazing project.

• She chose a mode of presenting in which she felt comfortable. It happened to be drawing pictures and arranging them in iMovie. Then she voiced over it.   
• She dove deeper in the resources to obtain more than just the minimum information. 
• She stayed focused and motivated and demonstrated a high level of effort. 

This is the first self paced unit I have done.  Although I need to reflect further and change some things, I was really pleased with the student outcomes. Even though not all the projects were great, they truly demonstrate each student’s learning.  As we head into the next portion of this unit, I am working to refine my self paced activities and structure. I will continue to give them choice in their final product, so nothing gets in the way of demonstrating their knowledge. I hope the outcome with surprise me once again! 

Strategies for Reading Informational Text

Since I have a background as a reading specialist, reading is incorporated throughout my science class.  Here are some of my favorite researched based strategies for informational text.

Reciprocal Teaching

I have tweaked this strategy to meet my students' needs and fit the text I often use.   The students split their paper into four sections before they read a section of the text. They title each box Questions, Evidence, Clarify, and Summary.  

Questions Turn the section headings into questions.	Evidence Answer each question as you read the section.
Clarify Clarify anything that is unclear. I often guide the students to put the vocabulary here or any points in bold.	Summary Read through the questions, evidence, and clarify boxes to construct a summary of the section.

I scaffold this strategy when I first begin to teach it at the beginning of the year.  We do a few together in the first unit. Once they are a little more comfortable, I have them work cooperatively with their table. The students rotate the roles of Question, Evidence, and Clarify as they read out loud, then they each write their summary.  Eventually, they are able to do this on their own.

SQP2RS- Squeepers

This is a great strategy for reading the science content that was developed by Mary Ellen Vogt. Here is a link with great posters!

BEAT THE TEACHER

The students really get into this one! Everyone silently reads a section of the text. As they read, the students construct questions that the teacher will have to answer. As they ask me questions, I give Patriot Awards, our school tickets, for  the more thoughtful questions. I look for questions from all 4 QAR categories (Right-there questions, Think and Search, Author and You, and On My Own) and reward more Patriot Award for higher level questions.