Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Rock Hill School District Appoints Two New Principals #rockhillschools #rockhill
At Monday night's school board meeting, two new principals were appointed:
Denise Khaalid will become the principal at Oakdale Elementary, succeeding Neil McVann, who is retiring. Denise is currently an asst. principal at South Pointe and last year's National High School Asst. Principal of the Year.
Jill Pappas will become the principal at Independence Elementary, succeeding Marc Swygert, who has accepted a job in Massachusetts. Jill, a former principal in Colorado, came to the district in August 2012 and accepted the position of asst. principal at Rosewood Elementary.
Both educators will begin their new job effectively July 1.
Elaine T. Baker
Director of Information Services
Rock Hill Schools
What Causes Engagement? #rockhill #rhschoolboard #rockhillschools
Fellow board member Dr. Jane Sharp had these comments on a recent blog post of hers:
Teachers = Engagement = Achievement? IPads?
When Randy Bridges came to RH3 as Superintendent in 2002 he brought with him his strong belief in the power of engagement as espoused by Philip Schlechty. According to Schlechty we need to change public schools from “places focused on compliance to those focused on engagement. “ From my, thankfully infrequent, experiences of sitting in classes that consisted of boring lectures and filling in worksheets I knew that he had a point but felt his suggestions provided a framework but no bricks. That is, his recommendation to “work on the work” was not enough for me to identify specific actions. When several years before I retired I discovered another approach called Professional Learning Communities I knew I had discovered my bricks.
By teacher collaboration (consistently working together to plan instruction), monitoring data (teacher’s regularly giving small tests to check understanding and sharing results), weekly remediation and enrichment (sharing and working with each other’s kids trying to let none fall behind) we did achieve growth in learning we were all proud of. In 2007-08, 84% of tested students passed the state reading test; 81% passed in math. 97% of teachers, 82% of fifth graders, and 86 % of parents said they were pleased with the learning environment. (Engagement?) The school was recognized for progress in “closing the achievement gap.” Not surprisingly, I continue to think of this as an effective way to organize for instruction.
However, Rock Hill 3’s current superintendent, Lynn Moody, was trained under Randy Bridges and still has great belief in the Schlechty model. We can’t really talk together about this topic because, as I have said to her, her eyes glaze over when I talk of Professional Learning Communities and I quit listening when she talks of engagement.
However, we are preparing to move into another era in instruction and I have been recently pondering my prejudices. Lynn’s position, I believe, is that by adopting personal computer devices we will increase engagement which will lead to increased learning. I can’t deny that student engagement is important. I need to know the relationship, if any, between computers, engagement and learning.
For the past weeks I have been roaming the web. To avoid (though probably not enough) reminders of college research papers as possible I put all references I used at the end and just talk about what I learned.
Many of the studies were correlational studies. As many of us learned in college correlation doesn’t necessarily indicate causality. Because two things happen together doesn’t mean one causes the other. One article evaluated 30 studies to determine what research says about one-to-one initiatives. (One-to-one means providing a computer for each student.) Some found that after a school adopted the use of 1-to-1 computing some achievement scores improved. In one large study math scores improved more than in reading. Other reports found that after 1-to-1 was started student engagement improved but academic scores showed little change. Again, correlation means two qualities seem to be associated but not that one causes the other. There could be another factor/change that influences both.
When teacher behavior was included in the mix there were certain teacher actions associated with improvements in both achievement and/or engagement. One kind of effective action describes the teacher’s skill in maintaining classroom order by noticing students who did not understand and helping them quickly or recognizing and reinforcing students who were involved. Another skill describes a teacher supporting students’ commitment to learning the content and meeting academic goals. Teachers with this skill had an especially a strong, positive effect on achievement. Skillful teacher behaviors included asking questions which had no pre-specified answer or validating student responses by including their ideas in follow-up discussions. When teachers do these kinds of things improvement in student motivation (engagement) AND achievement often occur. Students who see teachers creating a caring, well-structured classroom where expectations are high, clear, and fair are likely to say they feel engaged in school. High levels of engagement then tend to be associated with higher attendance and test scores.
There were numerous anecdotal reports (not cited here) on 1-to-1 computing where a single teacher, writing on a personal blog, reported increases in achievement. A single teacher who starts using digital devices and finds that scores improve cannot conclude that the computers caused the improvement. Although unintended, the teacher’s expectations and changes in teaching styles could affect the outcome.
A few reports simultaneously examined the use of computers, academic outcomes and also included measures on teacher behaviors. In cases where the computers were correlated with improvements in academics the teachers lectured less, provided more individual and group project work, and worked and shared more with other teachers. Extended professional development (additional education in teaching methods) also occurred with most successful programs, i.e., those where students’ learning improved.
So, at least in the sampling of studies I read, teacher support seems critically important to student engagement and achievement. Student who feel their teachers treat them with fairness, caring, and high expectations for their success are more likely to report being engaged in school. High levels of engagement are associated with better academic performance. Thus, the sequence appears to go from teacher skill and support, teacher teaching method (1-to-1 personal devices or not) to students engagement to academic performance.
If we want academic improvement we have to focus on our teachers, making sure they have the professional development they need as well as the time to collaborate with their colleagues in planning instruction and re-teaching where needed. Care for our teachers is a crucial step in our anticipated move to one-to-one computing. Most studies of the introduction of new technologies suggest that without due attention and support for teaching communities our chances of success will be much reduced.
References
- Bebell, Damien, O’Dyer L. Educational Outcomes and Research from 1:1 Computing Settings. Journal of Learning Technology and Assessment. January, 2010 . Vol. 9, No. Special Report
- Gates Foundation Report Learning About Teaching 2010
- Klem, A. M., Connell, J. P. Relationships Matter: Linking Teacher Support to Students Engagement and Achievement. Journal of School Health. 74 (7). Sept. ‘04
- McGarity, J. R, Jr., Butts, D. P. The relationship among teacher classroom management behavior, student engagement, and student achievement of middle and high school science students of varying aptitudes. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 21(1) Jan. ‘84
- Nystrand, M, Gamoran, A. Student Engagement: When Recitation Becomes Conversation.
- ProjectRed’s research summary.
- Sauers, N. J. McLeod, S. What Does the Research Say About School One-To-One Computing Initiatives. Castle Briefs UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. University of Kentucky. May, 2012.
- Skinner. E.A, Bellmont, M. J. Motivation in the Classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology 85(4), Dec, ’93.
Building a Stronger Work Force #rockhill
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Gold and Silver Awards Announced #rockhill #rockhillschools
The South Carolina Department of Education announced today the recipients of the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards for the 2012-2013 school year. The South Carolina Department of Education recognized 662 schools and career centers for general performance, closing the achievement gap, or qualifying in both categories.
Rock Hill Schools has 17 award-winners. They are as follows:
Gen. Performance Closing Achievement Gap
Applied Technology Center
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GOLD
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Belleview Elementary
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SILVER
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Castle Heights Middle
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GOLD
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Dutchman Creek Middle
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GOLD
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Ebinport Elementary
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GOLD
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Independence Elementary
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GOLD
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GOLD
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India Hook Elementary
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GOLD
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Mount Holly Elementary
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GOLD
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Mt. Gallant Elementary
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GOLD
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Northside Elementary
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SILVER
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GOLD
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Old Pointe Elementary
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GOLD
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Rawlinson Road Middle
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GOLD
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SILVER
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Saluda Trail Middle
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SILVER
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Sunset Park Elementary
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GOLD
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Sylvia Circle Elementary
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GOLD
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W.C. Sullivan Middle
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SILVER
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York Road Elementary
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GOLD
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The Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards program (PGS) began with the Education Accountability Act of 1998, giving recognition to schools for high levels of academic achievement and high rates of improvement. The PGS recognizes schools based on the criteria in the statewide Accountability Manual approved by the Education Oversight Committee (EOC)for both general performance and working towards closing the achievement gap. Within those two categories, a school may be awarded either the gold or silver designation. The EOC revised the criteria for Palmetto Silver General Performance this year, reducing the number of eligible schools.
Elaine T. Baker
Director of Information Services
Rock Hill Schools
Don't Blame The Tool #iRockrh
From the Avenue for Learning web site:
Every day, you’ll see several (tens? hundreds?) of Tweets and posts recommending “nreasons why x tool is the best/worst idea for education.”
I very much dislike lists.
You can find pros and cons for everything under the sun, but I think we need to stop promoting or discounting tools and focus more on changing pedagogy.
I’d like to write a bit about iPads now. Our school is a 1:1 iPad school, but students are also welcome to bring and use other devices (laptops, iPods, cell phones) to do what best helps them learn.
I’ve read a lot of posts about how iPads are NOT good learning tools, because you can’t learn to type properly on them, they’re bad for note-taking, you can’t teach programming on them, etc. But in all those posts, we’re looking at an adult’s perspective: adults who learned to type on a keyboard, either in school or on their own. These same adults learned to take notes in school. If they were taught programming at all, it was done on some type of computer with a keyboard.
So, iPads are bad because adults can’t type as quickly on them, and they don’t know how to program on them. Hmm. So, are we saying that students must learn to use specific tools because those are the tools that work best for adults?
What I find interesting about this advice is that no one considered asking a child how they might use an iPad.
What if we asked kids how they would use a device? What if we got out of the way and let them explore? That’s what I have the privilege of doing every day.
One of my students, a 9 year old girl, types more quickly on an iPad than most adults type on a standard laptop. Another one of my students, a 10 year old boy, has his iPad “keyboard” split, and he types like he texts… with his thumbs. Neither of them prefer using a standard keyboard. A couple of my students learned early to type on a keyboard, so they have an iPad case with keyboard. And then there are those students who struggle with typing and writing. Although they practice those skills daily, they also have access to dictation apps that help them as well.
The beauty here is that the students have the option to choose what works best for them, and there is no need for my intervention.
My kids also document their learning in different ways. They have a camera on their iPads that they use to photograph evidence of their learning. They often switch to video mode and record what they’re experiencing while narrating simultaneously. They’ve become documentarians without an adult telling them what they should do.
They create videos to share what they are learning. During one experiment, while they were making race tracks, the students noticed that the toy race car kept flipping off the track. It was happening so quickly, however, that they couldn’t SEE where their track was failing. One student decided they should record the car racing in slow motion to troubleshoot the problem with their track. Within five minutes, they had the problem solved, because they used their iPads to record using an app called Slow Pro. All of this happened while I watched and said nothing. They had access to a tool that allowed them to quickly grab an app and begin recording immediately.
When we go on learning excursions, they don’t grab their laptops. They grab their iPads so they can take photos and videos easily. When they take notes, they use an app that not only allows them to type their notes, but also provides options for adding photos and voice recordings.
Some of the kids in our school are learning programming. Did you know there are apps for that too? For my own learning, I’m checking out ScriptKit right now.
iPads work in our school for a number of reasons:
- Our leadership had a plan in place when making the decision to include iPads as learning devices.
- In our inquiry-based classrooms, students have a lot of choices in determining what the will learn and how they will demonstrate what they have learned. Every kid is different, and what works for one may not work for another. Their iPads and other devices provide them options.
- Our teachers were provided iPads to use as well. Everyday, we work together to share what we’re doing and learn from each other.
My purpose in writing this post really isn’t so much about how I love iPads. If your school or district rushes out to purchase large volumes of these devices without any plan, time for learning about the devices, and how those devices will support teaching and learning, then ANY tool will fail.
Additionally, if the tool isn’t used to transform learning, then you’re just wasting money. If you purchase a netbook for every child in your district, but then continue only lecturing while the students take notes, is learning transformed? Or did you just buy a really expensive substitute for paper and pencil?
The tool isn’t the problem. WE are the problem. If we don’t know how to provide options for students and then get out of the way, we aren’t transforming their learning. In my opinion, children need to have access to MULTIPLE devices so that they can make decisions about what best suits them for a specific learning activity.
iPads in the classroom are neither the problem, nor the solution. iPads are tools. However, if you choose to write a list about why iPads are not good for learning, maybe you need to rethink that list. I know a school full of children who can refute your arguments by what they do every single day.
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