The Day the Local News Came to My Classroom

On Tuesday, my kids and I had an interesting surprise. I had went to the office to sign out to run an errand during lunch when the technology coach was there. She was telling me that Channel 6 News in Knoxville was coming to interview a couple of teachers about the Chromebook project that we have implemented this year as well as how broadband internet has helped our rural community. She said that the principal had lined up two teachers to speak. We spoke for a moment, and then I went to go run my errand. I got back, and she was still there waiting on the news to arrive at the school. We chatted again for a few moments, and I returned to my classroom. About ten minutes after we returned from lunch, the principal knocks on my door and says that they want a math teacher. The teacher next door also teaches math and is related to the principal. The other math teacher and I said that we would both participate in the interview together. Then I broke the news to the kids.

"Hey guys, Channel 6 in Knoxville is coming into our classroom. We might have to change a couple of our plans, but be sure you are working on something."

The reporter came in and introduced himself as well as his cameraman. I knew who the reporter was since he had been on Knoxville local news ever since I was a kid. I introduced myself, and then he asked what class this was and what grade level. They hooked me up to a microphone, and the cameraman got a few shots of me walking around the room assisting kids as well as a couple of shots while I was "teaching" using the Promethean board and technology.

Then the reporter asked me several questions about Chromebooks and how broadband internet has affected and helped my job as a teacher and how its affected student learning and outcomes. Then he asked the class if a couple of students wanted to be interviewed, and I had two volunteer immediately! They were hooked up to a microphone and were asked how the broadband internet has helped affect their learning positively.

By the time all this had happened, class was over, and we even had to go over a minute. The next day, I told students that since we had visitors observing Chromebooks on Friday and the local news came unexpectedly to our classroom, that I would bring them a treat. So, my girlfriend and I are going to make cupcakes for the kids for me to bring on Monday.

New Grading System

I decided to have an overhaul of how I grade tests and quizzes for this semester. I used a scale of 1-10 to grade quizzes and tests. I really liked the scale of 1-10, but I decided to opt for a 0-4 scale. . I know that the 0-4 scale is nothing revolutionary in the world of Standards Based Grading, but as far as I know, I am the only person in my building that has implemented this scale. I can really say that I am a fan of the 0-4 scale!

I took the terms (and paraphrased the definitions) that I use to classify levels from the Tennessee Department of Education website as this is what they use to assess students on end of course examinations and applied it to my grading system.

So, here is how I decided to break it down by levels.

4	Mastered	You have exceptional understanding and expert ability to apply the knowledge and skills of the standard.	100%
3	On Track	You have a comprehensive understanding and thorough ability to apply the knowledge and skills of the standard.	88%
2	Approaching	You are approaching understanding and have a partial ability to apply the knowledge and skills of the standard.	80%
1	Below	You have a minimal understanding and minimal ability to apply the knowledge and skills of the standard.	60%
0	Not Assessed	You didn’t assess or answer the question; therefore, I cannot objectively measure your learning on the standard.	0%

I decided to calculate some of my percentages with the help of Justin Aion's blog. Another reason that I chose 88% is that it is in the middle range of a B on the Tennessee state grading scale. It's not that far from a C, but it's not that close to an A. So, it works as a middle range there. So, if you can perform with 88% accuracy, that isn't too bad. I also like the terms that the state of Tennessee uses, and I think that they transfer seamlessly to standards based grading. I also like the use of these terms versus below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced, which were used on previous state assessments.

Another change I have made is to take my state's standards and write them in friendly "I Can" statements to give to students, which I refer to as skill concepts. I then take these statements to align my quizzes. Quizzes range from 1-2 skill concepts while some will range anywhere from 3-5 skill concepts. I was wanting to give only quizzes that assessed 1-2 skill concepts, but I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to handle the paperwork load of giving feedback and assessing three to four times a week. I also realized that this was going to be tough given the depth of Algebra 2 and Geometry standards in Tennessee. So, I think I have figured out a more manageable system, and I also feel that this setup works to students' benefit as it is definitely more focused on skills and standards. It is also designed to see where students' strengths and areas of refinement are throughout the course.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Quarter the Cross Using the Group Work Participation Quiz

I knew that I wanted to restructure some ways we did things in class this semester. One area that I felt needed improvement was group work. I had read Jo Boaler's Mathematical Mindsets this summer and read some of the strategies to improve group work. However, I didn't read into the strategies enough. I went back and re-read the strategies last month, and one strategy that stuck with me was the participation quiz.

To do a participation quiz, start by giving students a task to work on and have the students pick (or you can assign) group roles. Then you take the board or a piece of paper and divide it into sections so that each group has one section. The teacher then goes around the room noting behaviors, quotes, questions, and etc. that he or she likes or dislikes and puts them on the board. Then each group earns a grade at the end of the practice.

I used flippity.net to put my students' names into the spreadsheet and used the Random Name Picker and used Visible Random Grouping (VRG) and grouped kids into groups of four. Then each student had a role of either team captain, facilitator, resource manager, or recorder/reporter, which are also from Mathematical Mindsets. Just an aside-if you haven't read Mathematical Mindsets yet, get your hands on a copy now. Go do it. Now!

I then gave students the Quarter the Cross task, which is a task where students are given five crosses and have to shade in a quarter of the area of the cross. If you are unfamiliar with Quarter the Cross, check it out here. I really like this task because it allowed students of all levels to enter the task at the same level and flourish. I also thought that this would be a good starter task to model group work, and I am happy with my choice.

After I gave students the task and told them to pick their group roles, they went to work, and so did I. I set up a section of my back whiteboard and numbered the groups. I walked around multiple times, and every time I heard a phrase or saw a behavior I liked, I went and jotted it down on the whiteboard. I did this repeatedly. You can also use this when you see undesirable behaviors, or if group members are off task, and if group members are not following their roles. Thankfully I didn't have to jot down any negative notes.

Many of my students told me that they enjoyed the task. Several students said that they liked the fact that this group work encouraged communication. I had a couple of students also tell me that she thought the notes were helpful, and several thought that it was helpful to receive feedback in real time. I also noticed that several were occasionally glancing at the backboard reading my notes.

So, I completely recommend both this task and this strategy. I will definitely be making the feedback and participation quizzes a part of my rituals from now on! Below are a few pics of the groups working, the task itself, and my notes from the participation quiz. Forgive me if you can't read my writing for the participation quiz. Let me know if you have any questions or ideas.