Close Reading as a Habit of Mind

One strategy teachers can use to prepare their students for the increased rigor of the Common Core State Standards is close reading. Close reading was mentioned in the last blog post as an effective literacy strategy that helps students to focus, to think critically, and to make sense of the written word.

Close reading, according to Dr. Douglas Fisher, is "careful and purposeful reading. It's a careful and purposeful rereading of a text. It's an encounter with the text where students really focus on what the author had to say, what the author's purpose was, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells us."

Watch Doug Fisher explain the rationale of close reading in this short video clip.

In his iteachircoachiblog post, Court Allam explains five close reading strategies in more detail. He also provides a sample of student work. Have you tried these strategies? Do they work? Do they enable students to "own" their learning?

1.  Number the paragraphs.
2.  Chunk the text.
3.  Underline and circle...with a purpose.
4.  Left margin: What is the author saying?
5.  Right margin: Dig deeper into the text.

Another excellent resource is Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's book, Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading. You can watch them on this YouTube clip, if that's easier.

For me, the most compelling reason to integrate close reading strategies is the realization that we live in such a disjointed, frenetic, fast-paced, and sometimes mindless world. Perhaps we all need to slow down, ponder, reflect, and truly understand what we and others are thinking and feeling. Maybe close reading can become a habit of mind for all of us.

New Angle on Assessments

The August post about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Maine's adoption of the Smarter Balanced assessment generated a lot of blog and email activity. Many of you asked thoughtful questions about how these assessments are created...and the impact of student performance on teacher evaluation.

So, I asked an expert in the field of assessment development...my sister, Gretchen!!  She is currently the Principal Assessment Editor at CTB/McGraw Hill. Gretchen travels across the country working with teachers to craft and refine assessment items and to share insights into the instructional and assessment implications of the Common Core State Standards.  I asked Gretchen the following questions, to which she responded with the caveat that they represent her own ideas based on her experiences. In other words, she is not being a spokesperson for either CTB or its customers. Here then are her responses:

1.  How are the assessment items created? What is the process? How are teachers (active and practicing ones) involved in that process?

2.  How can teachers prepare their students for these rigorous and demanding assessments? What instructional practices do they need to let go of and which ones do they need to implement?

3.  What do you think about including student scores in the teacher evaluation process? What percentage or ratio sounds fair to you? What are some effective ways to do that? 

If you want more information, Gretchen's email is: Gretchen_Schultz@ctb.com.

It is reassuring to know that there are teachers in Maine who are already implementing many of her recommendations. For example, all the teachers (not just English teachers) at Bonny Eagle High School provided direct instruction on close reading strategies this past year. The English department focused its efforts on strengthening argumentative writing skills, and the math department routinely asks students to explain their thinking and conclusions.

These recommendations are practical, manageable, and doable. 
Thanks, Gretchen. You rock!

"Spark" Your Students This Year

I saw this TEDxTC post on Pender Makin's blog, "Views from the Fringe of Public Education." Pender is the Director of the REAL School in RSU #14 and the Maine Principal of the Year.

In his "Sparks: How Youth Thrive" presentation,  Peter Benson, the CEO of Search Institute, inspires us to think about how we can "light the fires" of creativity and resiliency in our students by asking the simple question: "What gives you joy and energy?" Not only do we need to find that spark in each of our students, but we also need to nourish those sparks during their short time with us.

As you know, we can and do make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.

Hope your school year is filled with energy and joy!

Innovation Goes Mainstream

Do you still check Parade magazine every Sunday? Sometimes my husband teases me that Parade is the first part of the Sunday newspaper that I read. Even though we get the online version of the paper during the week, there's still something about flipping through that thick newspaper each Sunday!

This past Sunday I was delighted to see such a clear educational focus...one that incorporates both innovative ideas and traditional programs, such as recess, art, music, wood shop, and cooking. Michael Brick's article, "Building a Better School Day" emphasizes the importance of educating students to be not only "great test takers but great learners." Here are the seven inspiring ideas that Brick advocates:

1. Begin the day "over easy" with breakfast.
2. Emphasize learning, not testing.
3. Teach 21st-century skills.
4. "Flip" the class work.
5. Say "yes" to recess.
6. Get creative.
7. Go longer--and better.

Education is no longer the exclusive domain of teachers, administrators, and school boards. If Parade magazine informs its readers about "flipped" classrooms, multidisciplinary learning, and project-based learning, we need to be ready to lead the way. What do you think?

Can Storytelling Engage Students...and their Communities?

This past year a group of principals in southern Maine read and discussed Suzie Boss's book, Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World. This effort was organized by the Maine Principals' Association and the Great Schools Partnership.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this article by Suzie Boss about the power of storytelling on the Edutopia website. Her "Why Teachers Need to Be Great Storytellers" article grabbed my attention when she wrote about "what makes learning 'electric'" for students...and "how you and your students can harness storytelling to frame productive conversations about teaching and learning in your community."

I have not checked out the Sam Chaltain book, Faces of Learning: 50 Powerful Stories of Defining Momemts in Education that she recommends, but I plan to do that soon. I wonder what would happen if communities hosted "story slams" as a way for "parents, teachers, and other community members to share memories from their own personal learning journeys."

What I loved about the Boss article was a quote from a New Tech graduate. She said, "Your students graduate not just prepared, but inspired to chase their own whys." Wow!

BTW, if you haven't looked at the Edutopia website, it is chock full of inspiring articles about project-based learning (Maine is highlighted), technology integration, social and emotional learning, assessment, and integrated studies.

Maine schools gear up for Common Core Standards

Even though it's still summer, school is right around the corner. Educators are gearing up for the implementation of the Common Core and its assessments. The Maine Sunday Telegram published a comprehensive and thoughtful article about the Common Core's potential to prepare students for the global workplace and to raise the bar for all students. Take a few moments to read the article, "Maine schools' shift to tougher standards will come with costs." Let me know what you think.

What If You Could Learn Everything? Too Good to be True...Or Not?

by Beth Schultz, Maine Educator

"But here's the vision. Within five or 10 years, the paper textbook and mimeographed worksheet will be dead. Classroom exercises and homework---text, audio, video, games---will have shifted entirely to the iPad or equivalent. And adaptive learning will help each user find the exact right piece of content needed, in the exact right format, at the exact right time, based on previous patterns of use."

Too good to be true? Or, not?

In Maine, many of us are exploring the concept of mass customized learning (MCL), introduced to us by Bea McGarvey and Charles Schwahn in their book, Inevitable. This reality is closer than you think! In Anya Kamenetz's article, "What If You Could Learn Everything?" (published 7.10.2013 by Newsweek) she shares the fascinating story of Jose Ferreira, the CEO of Knewton, an education technology startup that is bringing the transformative capacity of digital technology to the classroom. When you read the article, make sure that you read it to the end. There you will find that essential question: "And, as must be asked of all things tech, can it complement the human elements of education?"

What do you think? Eager to hear!