SMYA President's Page

Homework Havoc? There's an App for That

2010-04-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I had to forward this article just because of the "APP" idea. It seems like there is an easy answer for everything...well at least almost everything. Has anyone in Saskatchewan come across anything like this before? Sounds promising...

Homework Havoc? There's an App for That

Shirley Gregoire

Middle grades students tend to have issues with organization and remembering homework assignments. At the same time, parents attempting to keep their kids on track can take up an inordinate amount of teacher time with questions about assignments and requests for paper copies.

A Simple Solution

This problem can be minimized by posting assignments online. At St. Anthony-New Brighton Middle School, we found a simple solution in the Google Apps Education Edition. The free, web-based Google Apps system was efficient and easy to use. Once connected with the school's website, setting up accounts and web pages was a breeze. Individual user accounts with unique usernames and passwords were created for teachers and students.

Through the Google Apps Education Edition, students and their parents can access their individual customized Google calendars displaying assignments for specific classes. The Month View gives students and parents an overall picture of long-range and daily assignments, while the Agenda View provides a day-by-day listing of current assignments. Included with each homework posting are the documents that accompany the assignment, YouTube videos explaining the concepts, and video recordings of the interactive whiteboard demonstrations.

Planning and Training

Planning and training completed prior to implementation are key to the success of this communication tool. Two teachers took the lead in helping the staff come to consensus with regard to content expectations. Timelines for weekly postings were also established. The decision was made to also include topics covered in class for parents and for students who missed the class. A committee of teachers with a wide range of technical skills worked to further define these expectations. Time was provided during staff workshop days and in after-school sessions for all staff to develop their personal websites. One-on-one, small-group, and large-group training was provided for teachers to ensure they were able to post homework and embed documents into assignment postings. In addition, demonstrations of the calendars and websites were conducted for parents. Simple step-by-step instructions were also e-mailed to all parents, along with passwords and logins. Students were trained in accessing their calendars as well.

Positive Outcomes for All

Since implementing this systematic, school-wide approach to posting assignments and instructional support, we have seen a marked decrease in the number of parent e-mails and phone contacts, a decrease in the duplication of worksheets, and an increase in assignment completion. Valuable instructional time spent copying assignments into planners has been recouped. The small number of students with no Internet access at home can access and print the information using classroom or media center computers.

Free applications such as those accessible through Google Apps Education can provide the means to simplify educators', parents', and students' lives, allowing for more time spent learning and less time spent managing.

This issue of Middle E-Connections was written by Shirley Gregoire, principal of St. Anthony–New Brighton Middle School in St. Anthony, Minnesota, and edited by Cheri Howman, assistant editor for National Middle School Association.

Conference 2010

2010-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

The conference is really rolling as we finalize our plans. Make sure you check out our session list and descriptions on the website and start planning your two days. Our schedule is also available and Janet Vernon's teacher leader and administrator's workshop looks to be a great addition to our line up.

Here's a link to Rich's video that goes with his session - Making Northern Spirit Flutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwPZUGrJtbY
In his session, he will go through the steps of building a flute and participants will be given the opportunity to purchase their flutes. This session will most likely fill up fast so make sure you show up early.

Believe in the Middle

2010-01-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

We've worked very hard to bring you the best selection of sessions for our conference. On the website you can find an updated list of sessions as well as the times and locations of the sessions. Please feel free to look over the sessions and identify which ones you are most looking forward to attending.

Why do you love to attend the middle years conference?

We will finalize the schedule soon so please check out the website often!
http://www.smya.ca/

Assessment and Redoing Assignments

2010-01-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to the Middle Talk Digest and receive a collection of the discussions posted on the site. It seems that grading, assessment and the question of redoing assignments comes up. I'd love to find out what you think about giving students a second/third/fourth chance on assignments and also think about this post made by one of the participants:

I have gone through the process of redoing assignments over the past years, thanks to conversations on here, as well as reading on the topic, especially Rick Wormeli's books.

Initially, I allowed students to redo ANYTHING and everything, up until the end of the marking period. It was a nightmare. I wanted to run and hide that last week.

Then, at some point, I realized that since homework/classwork only count for 5% of the final grade, these assignments, at least the grade, doesn't really matter. It really is about the assessments. So why regrade all those daily assignments?? Students are still encouraged to redo/rework to increase their understanding but I no longer spend my time reassessing. I might hand them the key/my teacher book and have them do it, but I don't. I will rework problems with them, or whatever they need to grasp the concepts.

Assessments are redone in a couple of ways. Since I primarily teach math, I usually grade their tests/quizzes and give back to all students in class for a quick redo - just checking their careless mistakes. Students who need a more intensive redo, will need to meet with me individually either before school/after or during our seminar period. I work with them until they can master the concepts and then retest them.

I do NOT allow redos on projects. I tried that approach but I found students abused the right to redo those as a general rule. When we complete math projects, I plan them to be completed entirely IN CLASS, with much guidance from me. I provide varied levels of scaffolding depending on each student's needs. If a student truly wants to be successful on a project, the opportunity is there. Unfortunately, there are those who don't care and fail these assignments regardless of my efforts. Letting go of them has been difficult for me, but the longer I teach, the more I realize that failure is sometimes an option.

I find that the more my grades are based on assessments, the more seriously my students take my classes. Now that homework/daily work really IS about the learning process and often is simply ungraded, effort increases. That seems counter-intuitive for some teachers, but for me, it has been a dramatic improvement in my own teaching and ultimately the learning of my students. We do more work together, we redo more assignments together, we learn more.... My goal is before they get to that summative assessment, to KNOW they are going to experience success, to have it be redundant in the learning process, more a validation of what I already know they know.

Cossondra

Contest Information

2010-01-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

I was sent the following email to share:
Dear Mike Spicer, Saskatchewan Middle Years Association President,

Please forward the following reminder of this government-sponsored art contest to teachers of Social Studies or Visual Arts for students grades 5 to 8. It would also be great if you could include this information on websites or in newsletters for your members. Many intermediate teachers will have already heard about the contest through "The Gathering Place" resource about Ottawa (which was distributed to schools across Canada in 2009) but a deadline reminder is always helpful.

Thank you!

Carrie Ann Taylor, Classroom Connections

(Please feel welcome to contact me with any questions, via email or telephone 250-598-7195, at Classroom Connections' west coast office)

YOUR STUDENTS' ART COULD BE FLYING HIGH IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL!

Calling all teachers of Grades 5 to 8!
The National Capital Commission (NCC), in partnership with Classroom Connections, is running an amazing cross-Canada contest and public art project. Students in Grades 5 through 8 are being asked to create and submit a one-of-a-kind banner design to the “Raise Your Voices!” National Student Banner Contest. The design should represent an issue or topic of importance to Canadian youth.
This contest is an extension of the teaching resource, The Gathering Place: An Exploration of Canada's Capital, which was distributed free of charge to school districts across Canada. The lessons and activities in the resource explore Canadian culture, identity and symbols; government, citizenship and democracy; Canadian stories, heroes and celebrations; and Canada’s connections and contributions to the world. There is also a brand NEW lesson available (free) online, specifically designed to facilitate contest participation using visual arts curriculum links.

The winning banners will be professionally produced and flown in Major's Hill Park in the heart of the Capital from May to October of 2010.

Participation in this juried contest is a concrete way to connect students across Canada with their national capital and to engage their spirit and self-expression in a creative, hands-on public art project that brings youth issues to the Capital.
The deadline for entries is February 19, 2010.

Please read the full contest details at: www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bannercontest
Want more information or extra copies of the resource? Email:

info@classroomconnections.ca

What do you Believe?

2009-11-26T17:30:00.001-08:00

In these uncertain times with economic difficulties facing most of the world, it is nice to see that Saskatchewan seems to be the light leading the way. Despite the turmoil surrounding us, I still feel a lot of optimism as I look at where we have come from and where we are heading. Although there are probably several reasons why Saskatchewan seems to still have many things going for it, I feel that the main reason for success is our beliefs.

As people living in Saskatchewan, we are used to adversity. From the days of the pioneers, to the dirty thirties, we still believed things would get better. During the harshest winter day, we bundle up and believe that spring is just around the corner and the days will get brighter. During the mosquito infested summers, we still believe it is worth it to go for a stroll and enjoy the warm nights. With each adversity we face, we believe that tomorrow holds the promise of a better day for all of us.

In short, we believe in a bright future. We believe that our students deserve the best that we can give them. We believe that by lending a hand, someone’s life will get better. We believe that the extra curricular activities we organize for our students strengthen the bond each student has with their school and their teachers. We believe that each student has a light inside them that needs to be lit or a flame that needs to be fed. We believe in the middle.

This year, the world’s eyes will look to Canada during the Olympics to see what we believe in and because of that, the Saskatchewan Middle Years Association has themed this year’s conference in Regina, Believe in the Middle. On March 18 and 19, I invite you to join colleagues from all over Saskatchewan to celebrate our middle level beliefs. At the conference, we will relight our torches as we listen to our keynote, Janet Vernon, and then carry our torches back to share with our schools and our students. At the conference we will also learn effective strategies to help our students reach the podium.

In closing, I hope you will take the opportunity to join us in Regina on March 18 and 19. The Saskatchewan Middle Years Association believes that this year’s conference will be one of the best to date. Please take the time to check in on the President’s Blog at http://smyapresidentspage.blogspot.com/ to add what you “Believe in the Middle.”

Gradiing Concerns

2009-10-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

I came across this article and thought it might be a great way to start a conversation. What are your grading practices? What do you think of this? Please add your comment below.

SPOTLIGHT: How Unfair Are Grades?

If you have ever rolled your eyes in disbelief when your child tells you a teacher gave him or her an unfair grade, you may want to think again.

Your child might be right.

Douglas B. Reeves, an expert on grading systems, conducted an experiment with more than 10,000 educators that he says proves just how subjective grades can be. Reeves asked teachers and administrators in the United States, Australia, Canada and South America to determine a final semester grade for a student who received the following grades for assignments--in this order:

C,C, MA (Missing Assignment), D, C, B, MA, MA, B, A.

He was given final semester grades from A to F, Reeves said.

Why? Because, he said, teachers use different criteria for grading. Some average only letter grades, while others take into consideration effort (which in this case seemed to be picking up toward the end), and attendance.

“If you went to a Redskins game, the thing society takes really, really seriously, and one official says a goal was scored and another official says no goal and a third official scratches his head, there would be hell to pay,” said Reeves, founder of the Leadership and Learning Center, a Colorado company that provides professional development, research and solutions to educators and others.

“But for some reason, we let grades be all over the map," he said.

The consequences, say Reeves and other experts on grading systems, are more than just a few students who are unhappy with their grade in a particular class. Reeves said that ineffective grading can lead to widespread student failure--and that good systems can help kids achieve.

Grading regimes that work, he said, offer accurate, precise and timely feedback that is aimed at helping students improve--not penalizing them--and is only one type of response.

“You don’t give grades to adjudicate a result. You give it to give kids ..... to help them get better,” he said.

Grades have long been a source of controversy in school systems around the country.

Most systems--including those in Montgomery and Arlington counties, use a modified 10-point system, in which 90 percent above is an A, 80 percent is a B, and so on. Fairfax County schools moved to that system this fall--leaving behind a policy in which 94 percent was an A--after a year of parent lobbying.

But Reeves supports more wholesale change, such as the overhaul undertaken in the past few years in the Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska.

These schools overhauled the grading system, in part to make sure that students taking the same classes got the same scores. Some of the changes included:

--Setting learning targets and linking grades to the achievement of those targets.

--Giving grades based solely on achievement and separately reporting attendance, effort and participation.

--Grading only individual achievement, not group work.

--Giving scores only to certain assignments and choosing carefully which scores should be included in the final grade.

--Making sure students understand how their grades are being determined.

But most students are still graded on old models. The first step toward change, Reeves said, is eliminating “dumb errors.”

Giving kids no credit for not turning in work, or failing them in some other way, defeats the purpose of education he said. A better result would be forcing the child to do the work, before school, during recess or after school.

“It is really time that people feel a sense of urgency to change grading policies that give students very different results for the same work in the same class,” he said.

Readers: Do you agree with Reeves’ assessment of grading policies? How fair are the grading systems in the schools your children attend? Teachers, tell us your grading philosophy.

By Valerie Strauss
September 16, 2009; 6:30 AM ET

Categories: Grades
Tags: Douglas Reeves, Fairfax County Public Schools, Grades

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The Art of Acknowledging Students

2009-04-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting article sent to me through NMSA. What do you think of it?

The Art of Acknowledging Students
Judith Baenen

Why are middle schoolers so embarrassed about being good? Even those students who love their moms and dads, care for their siblings, get good grades, and like school, hate being pointed out as someone who cares, studies, or cooperates. What is so bad about being good?

Of course, experienced middle grades teachers know it isn't being good that embarrasses them, it's being singled out. Even the boldest middle grades student is inherently averse to attention, especially from adults. The student who gets snorts and snickers from peers for some silly antic or egregious remark carries on with aplomb, but that same student would be reeling with humiliation if a teacher noted his or her high score on an assignment or a kind act in the hall.

Of course, that doesn't mean good work and good behavior should go unnoticed. Here are a few ways of acknowledging students without embarrassing them.

Praise in private. Just as you would reprimand in private a student who exhibits poor behavior, find a private moment to offer congratulations to a student who has done well. This can be done in a very casual way: "By the way, great job handling that argument today." Or, the situation may warrant a more focused conversation: "You know, I wanted to tell you how nice it was of you to help Danny pick up his books." These conversations can be held between classes or during a quiet moment in the library or in a study hall when other students aren't paying much attention.

Use classroom displays. Students need models of good work. Your classroom walls and bulletin boards are the best place to show off student work that has met or exceeded expectations. These models can be displayed without any additional praise or attention to the persons who performed the work.

Mail your praise. Keep a stack of postcards in your desk (If you travel, use postcards from your journeys.). When a student does something really noteworthy—especially if it's being kind to others or exercising control—jot one or two sentences of praise on the postcard and mail it. Be sure you address it to the student; if parents also see it, wonderful, but it's the student who needs the recognition.

Create an age-appropriate caught being good wall. Call it something more suitable to middle grades students, such as CHIC (Character Here Is Cool) or KEWL or LknGd—or ask the students to think of a name. Teachers can discreetly post names of students who have done something especially kind for another student, teacher, or other person in the building. Just list the name, not the deed. Any student whose name is on the wall receives a small treat at the end of the month.

Sincere praise can be a valuable tool in building student confidence and reinforcing positive behaviors. However, effusive or empty praise and recognition of one or two students that, in effect, puts other students down can have a negative impact on student morale and classroom climate. Use praise sparingly but well.

Judith Baenen, a former classroom teacher, speaks and writes about middle grades students and the issues that affect them. She is author of National Middle School Association's HELP, More HELP, and HELP for Teachers and editor of The Family Connection.

Units and Handouts

2009-03-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

At my Rock Band session, some people asked if I could post my handouts online. Well, here it is. Feel free to grab it, use it, fix it, switch it, and integrate technology into the classroom. I only have one request in return...please let me know how it went in the classroom. If you switched things around, upload your version so others can learn from your successes.

Rock Band Unit
Data Management

Enjoy and if you have any other requests, I may be able to find other units from our Executive members from our breakouts.

Conference Wrap Up

2009-03-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

First off, I'd like to thank the conference crew for doing an amazing job with this year's conference. From the feedback received, it looked like the conference was well received and people walked away with a smile on their face and an idea to use on Monday. In the near future, we will be contacting our delegates again for a voluntary survey to help us plan our next year's conference, Believe in the Middle. In the feedback forms received, people spoke of other conference schedules that might work better for our members. In order to have your voice heard, make sure you respond. If you leave your name and email on the electronic survey, you will be entered for a gift certificate. Thanks for your feedback and I look forward to making our conference better and better.

I'd like to thank eJournalism for covering this year's conference and reporting on the small and large group sessions. With the absence of Janet Vernon and the surprise of Rick Herrig and his interesting outfit and energizing party bus, I'm sure they had lots to report. Thanks again Rick for stepping in on short notice, I received positive feedback about your keynote. Thank you also to Dale Nikkel our singing keynote for your heartfelt songs.

Lastly, I promised that I would post my Rock Band information in my blog for people to use. I will be getting to that within the next week or so and will also post Tina's Touching Spirit Bear Unit at that time.

In the meantime, feel free to subscribe or RSS this page so you'll get updates as soon as they are posted. The units will not be left online for long so you don't want to miss them. Also, let me know you are out there by dropping a comment on the conference. I'm curious to find our which sessions you thought were awesome so we can invite them back again to Regina next year.

On Our Way

2009-03-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

The great news is that conference is just around the corner and things are falling into place. We've changed the format this year in response to the survey we sent out via email last fall which asked us to hold the conference on Thursday night and Friday all day. This year, we have included breakfast and lunch into our conference as well as our popular Thursday night social with Beef on a Bun. During our social, Dale Nikkel, our keynote, will be singing songs from his CD while we relax and kick back.

Also joining us again is the eJournalism class who will be interviewing and reporting on the day's activities. This year, we were able to find them their own room and Kelly Ireland will be doing a presentation on EJ late Friday afternoon.

On the website - which is back up and running - you will find session descriptions and other conference information. If you have any other questions or have a comment to share, feel free to post to the website. This conference looks like it will be one of our best.

Lastly, please make sure you drive safely if you are coming in from out of town. We all know what can happen with Saskatchewan weather.

Paradise Lost

2009-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, not totally lost. You may have found that we are experiencing technical difficulties with our website. While the techs (although I claim to be a computer geek...I don't have the prowess they do) work on it, I've set this post up with a few links you may need if you are planning on coming to conference.

Luckily, this has been the only major obstacle we've come across in planning this awesome conference. I've also included the small group session descriptions through the link below to help you plan your conference activities. We have over 30 session for you to choose from. This information will also be in your program you will receive at registration so if you don't need to print it off, please consider saving a tree.

If you have questions or need more information, please post a comment on the blog. In fact, I'd like to hear which session you think will be the most interesting for you. We've tried to plan something for everyone.

Registration

Session Descriptions

Two Tickets to Paradise

2008-12-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

President’s Message

Okay, I’m dating myself with the song reference to Eddie Money but I couldn’t resist with the theme of our conference being Paradise in the Middle. While some may argue that Middle level teaching can be anything but paradise, most of us understand that as we “pack our bags and leave tonight,” we’re bound to hit a few bumps before we reach our destination. We need to remember that sometimes, the journey can be just as much fun as the destination. Nevertheless, careful planning before you set out on the road usually helps decrease the number of wrong turns.
While, planning your trip consider the following ideas…
Get to know your students academically and personally. We’ve been told over and over that we need to reach them before we can teach them. Getting to know them is like listening to the traffic report or highway conditions. Some roads need extra time or creative ways or moving around the obstacles that may be in the way of the destination.
Pack a emergency bag. Driving in Saskatchewan can be very interesting, especially in winter. Every trip should start with a carefully planned emergency toolkit or bag. Make sure that your teaching toolkit is full of interesting ideas and activities incase your class gets stranded when a student gives the cold shoulder.
Bring along some friends. Every road trip is more enjoyable when you bring along colleagues. Invite other teachers to collaborate and team teach. When two heads come together to plan a trip the results can be amazing. One of the benefits is that you can take turns driving but more importantly, when you take the time to plan together, collegiality turns to friendship. And we all know teachers can always use a friend to talk to.
Listen to the radio. Music can help pass the time and also focus our attention to the task at hand. Music can also be used to motivate our students to work towards their goals, either as a reward or as background noise other than the usual chatter. Encourage your students to sing along quietly to the songs on the radio. You’d be amazed at how many of them can sing…and how many can sing well.

At this year’s conference, our tour guides on the trip to paradise are Dale Nikkel and Janet Vernon. Dale is an inspiring Canadian speaker and songwriter who will open our conference. Janet is the current president of the National Middle School Association and brings a wealth of middle level knowledge from her years of experience. Both speakers as well as our small group presenters will provide us with an incredible trip to Paradise in the Middle at the Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, on March 12 and 13. Make sure you plan to attend this year and grab your “two tickets to paradise” while there is a seat sale. Early bird registration ends February 1st. I look forward to seeing you there.

MOYA-Month of the Young Adolescent

2008-10-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Did you know that October is the Month of the Young Adolescent?
Take time this month to plan a special activity to celebrate the unique abilities of 10-14 year olds. We all know that the middle level is a great place to teach but often the world paints our youngsters in a negative tone. Try switching things up this month and invite the public to the school to see how great these kids are.

Last year, my grade seven class held a pancake breakfast for our parents. While the students flipped, cooked and served, the parents looked at examples of their daily work and checked out the student's computer projects, photostories, and websites they had created. We held our breakfast from 7:15 - 8:00 and most parents were able to attend without missing any work. The morning was well received and many of the parents were surprised to see that their child can cook...much to the chagrin of some students who now have a new Saturday morning ritual...

In all, the morning was easy to plan and the students were eager to show off their cooking skills and their work. I'd love to have other ideas shared on this blog. Please add yours or comment. If you are not sure where to start, try incorporating a MOYA activity into Education Week or check out the NMSA's website for ideas on what other schools have tried...http://www.nmsa.org/

Welcome to our first Post

2008-08-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm just testing this out but my plan is that this will hopefully be a meeting ground for middle level educators in Saskatchewan. Feel free to comment on any of my ideas or any one else's who posts as well as add awesome lesson plan ideas or links to be used in the classroom. If you have a great idea, please describe it the best you can and also explain where and what class you would use it in.