Why Personalize?

We get asked often: "Is it worth it?" "Would you ever go back to a traditional classroom?" Isn't it just so much work?" And, truly the answer is: This is the best work of our careers, and we would never go back to a traditional classroom. It is WORTH every minute, every drip of sweat, every ounce of stress. Why?? I'll answer with a story.

Meet one of our students. For the sake of anonymity, we'll call him "Jay." Meet Jay.

When we met "Jay" during our first week of 4th grade, we knew he was smart. He was a good student. He "played" school really well, and had every year prior to us.

We start every school year with a variety of team building activities. These are critical in the development of our culture and climate. These tell us so much more about the kids in front of us than any test score could. We use these as building blocks for our time together and how our classroom runs.

During a particularly challenging activity (Spaghetti and marshmallow towers), "Jay" completely shut down. His group was "failing," and so he stopped trying. He put his head down and refused to go any further. At one point during those first few weeks, he said "Can't you just give me a worksheet??" No, Jay, we can't, nor would we.

What will we do instead? We will personalize the learning you receive. We will push you to places that might make you uncomfortable. We will work on not only your academics, but also your soft skills. We will teach you that "failing forward" is a much better option than shutting down. We will instill confidence in you. We will believe in you. We will help you believe more in yourself. 

Flash-forward to almost two years later. "Jay" is teaching his peers in this picture. Jay has taken on the entire 8th grade curriculum in math--by his own choosing, and will be starting high school math as a 6th grader next year. Jay now seeks out challenges that frustrate him. Jay now has confidence to the point where failure does not frighten him. He has empathy for his peers. He holds his head up high. Jay is proud of who he is as a learner.

And we couldn't be more proud of him.

That is just one reason of a thousand of why we personalize. Why is your WHY? We would love to learn with you.

Angela

Reflecting on Our Math Workshop

Math Workshop has always been one of my favorite hours of the day...the energy and controlled chaos within the room is contagious, and we love that the kids take ownership over their choice time. This year our district adopted a new math curriculum...I'm not going to lie, that adoption made me a little apprehensive. After attending the training and reviewing the materials, it seemed to be greatly teacher-driven...something we are not totally in agreement with. I loved the components of Bridges, and knew the kids would enjoy the problem solving activities embedded throughout, but worried that I would be spending too much time in front of the students.

Angela and I promised each other we'd go into the year with an open mind and a positive attitude towards the program. We knew we liked Bridges in and of itself, so we had to remain optimistic. We discussed with our students some of the changes they may see in our workshop block, but promised them we'd familiarize ourselves with the curriculum and go from there. This was one of those moments when we felt bound by curriculum. It took us a good three units, and copious amounts of time co-planning, before we felt we had a grasp on Bridges and all it had to offer. Our students were extremely patient with us getting ahead of the learning curve.

Bridges has supported our students in many ways, and they have grown tremendously through this program. They have an amazing intervention binder that supports our struggling mathematicians (we also use that for our daily bullpens). Our students have also developed incredible mental math strategies. They approach complex problems in a variety of ways, and think about numbers flexibly. We've enjoyed the overlap of concepts, and love seeing how the different domains mesh together throughout units.

A few disadvantages, though, is feeling there is a repetitiveness of lessons at times. Sometimes lessons seem redundant and unnecessary. We also noticed a decrease in the students' daily choice time. Part of these struggles are due to system structures that we can not control, and part of that is feeling as if we needed to teach the program with fidelity in order to best understand all it has to offer. It is a juggling act when you're tackling a new curriculum. There are concepts the students already know, but then there are definite areas where they're missing information. BUT...with the first half of the year under our belts, we are thrilled that we FINALLY feel we can venture away from Bridges a bit and bring in some more project based learning. Please do not misunderstand, Bridges is still our primary resource, but based on pretest results and some of the skills our students have mastered, we know many of our students are ready to take on more independent choice and project based learning.

As I previewed our Unit 4 pretest results, I was extremely pleased with the skills our students already had in place. Students doing well on a pretest is sort of a double edged sword- you're excited and proud of them for showing they're applying skills previously taught and knowing they're ready to move ahead...BUT it can also be terrifying because you're faced with the dreaded "Now what do we do with them?" question.

We had a relatively large group of children (8-10ish) that scored 100% on the entire pretest. We have another 5-8 that will master the skills needed within a few mini lessons or bullpens. Knowing that, we knew we had to plan accordingly for these flyers. They'd be ready for something more. We did not want these students sitting through unnecessary mini lessons. Last year, based on their pretest results, we had students moving back and forth between multiple mini lessons on a daily basis. That was easier to do when we were writing all of our units and lessons. This year it's been more difficult to juggle because we are still getting to know the Bridges units.

Seeing our results for this unit, though, we knew it was time to venture outside of the walls of Bridges and jump back into our "normal." We wanted to give our students an opportunity to practice the skills and standards addressed within Unit 4, but also push them further ahead. We knew this would better serve them and give them the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real world situation. Angela and I spent time creating "Planning For Your Future- a Personal Budget Project"; an independent project that our students could work on throughout the unit. This project is required for students that mastered the learning targets on the pre-assessment, but is open to ALL kids in our class, as well.

Click the image above to see the full product.

Students tackling the budget project may participate in certain mini lessons, especially during problem solving days. We want their expertise in our discussion, and we want them to practice the skills and explain their thinking in a variety of ways. With that being said, they will spend a good portion of their unit working independently on the project. We have the luxury of having two full time teachers, and a student teacher in our space. This gives us a lot of flexibility to work with a variety of small groups throughout our workshop block.

We are excited because it's wonderful to see the enthusiasm back in  our classroom. The students are thrilled to be gaining back some choice time, and tackling long term projects. They understand, though, that there are days we will pull them back to our mini lesson for multiple reasons. Maybe we feel they need more practice, maybe we need their voice in our discussion, or maybe we think they'll just have fun tackling the day's lesson/activities. We are also hoping to see them take this sort of open-ended project, and spark new ideas of their own! They always come up with better projects than we do!

The "Cake Pop" problem below is a perfect example of a problem-solving day that was beneficial for ALL learners. Only a handful of our students have background knowledge on multiplying decimals, but EVERY kid in our class could solve this problem using a variety of strategies we've learned in class. Some used ratio tables, some used the double-half strategy, some tore apart the dollar amounts and made the questions easier to solve, and some used the traditional algorithm for multiplying decimals (teaching them the traditional method will come within this unit, but we loved that the students pulled other strategies to solve instead of just saying, "I can't do this...". Our hearts were even happier when partners chose to solve the questions in multiple ways.

Katie & Evy solving their cake pop questions using the traditional algorithm. Another group setting up a ratio table to solve.

We are super excited to see our students jump into the "Planning For Your Future- a Personal Budget Project". This enrichment project has them exploring their future careers, as well as budgeting for life's everyday expenses. Students will find an apartment to rent and furnish the apartment, determine cost of additional living expenses each month, along with making a plan and shopping for healthy meals.  It's going to be an eye-opening experience for them. To check out the project, and try it in your classroom, visit our Teachers Pay Teachers store. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out! We love hearing from you!

 ~ Kate

Rethinking Student Goal Setting

Photo Credit

Kate and I have been doing a lot of reflecting about how how we have done student goal setting up to this point in our Personalized Learning Journey. It was great for a while...it helped us start...it helped our previous students gain some metacognition skills...BUT...it felt like we could do it better. It felt like something was missing. We wanted to push ourselves more, as well as our students. In all honesty, it sometimes felt like "busy work", rather than pushing our personalization further.

Up to this point, we had always required WEEKLY goal setting with our students. They need to write quality goals using action steps, as well as reflection for each and every subject area. We set new goals on Mondays, and our students wrote reflections on how they did that week by Sunday night. We would check their goals. Give them feedback. It was part of our Digital Portfolios. It was...a lot. Not only for us, but also for them.

Kids, by nature, have difficulty setting goals. It isn't something they walk into our classroom automatically knowing how to do. We did A LOT of modeling and coaching. The problem often ended up that our students did not meet their goals by the end of the week. We talked about carrying over goals to the following week, and that could be noted in their reflections, but some goals took weeks to work on. This is normal. This is still okay. But, nonetheless, hard for 9 and 10 year olds to wrap their heads around. For many of our kids, it became "one more thing" that they "had to do," not the meaningful metacognition we were hoping for.

In our reflection, Kate and I were looking for how we could do this differently. How could we make it more developmentally appropriate and meaningful for our kiddos. We started exploring the option of Unit Goal Setting. 

We pre-assess for everything we teach. This helps us set up different pathway with our kids. It helps us know what they know, what they don't know, see gaps, and more. But the pre-test was really a "teacher tool." It was meaningful "Assessment For Learning"--but primarily for us. We have been discussing assessment a lot over the last few months. How can we get kids more involved. How can we help them "drive the bus" of their learning. It was then that we had one of those "a-ha" (or possibly "duh!") moments. Why do we only see those results? Why have we never put those pretests back in the hands of the kids? Ultimately, this conversation really forced us to re-evaluate our practices.

So, this year, we will be tackling UNIT GOAL SETTING with our students. We created new "Personalized Learning Plans" (PLPs) that we will be supporting students with. 

Our plan: Each unit we will still pre-assess and score the results. We will then put the pretests back in the hands of the kids and help them set UNIT goals with action steps on what they will do to meet their goals. This will help them work with us to set personal pathways for their unit of learning. For a large chunk of our kiddos (your typical 80%), their goals might be similar. They need grade level materials/instruction. They need the largest group mini-lessons. They might work through things in different orders, but there will be large chunks of them that have similar needs. The last 20% will need gaps filled or challenges to go deeper and beyond. We are eager to see how these conversations go and how the pathways play out. Students will then complete a reflection on their work at the end of each unit. When we confer with kids each day, this will become a touchstone in our conversations. We have decided that we will do this in Math, Reading, and Writing this year.

Click me to see full tool. You can "FILE, MAKE A COPY" of it, to tweak and make your own!

This PLP is also in the same Google Sheet as the reading one!

Click me to see full tool. You can "FILE, MAKE A COPY" of it, to tweak and make your own!

Each of the images above link to the Google Sheets that we made. You are welcome to "FILE, MAKE A COPY" of these documents and make them your own. The Reading and Writing PLPs are part of what we are calling our "Digital Literacy Binder" this year (a twist on our Digital Reading Binders from years past). This updated digital "binder" will also house their book log, journal, and personal literacy data. 

We are confident that we will make tweaks as the year goes on. We need to see how they do and what they think their needs are. We want their input in improving the tools. These tools will also be significant links within their digital portfolios this year.

We'll keep you posted! How are you goal setting with your students? What have you found to be the most successful? Would love to learn with you!

Happy Teaching!

~Angela

Proud Teacher Moment

Most days our students are asked to bring their composition books to the carpet for the math mini lesson. Sometimes we have learning models to tape in, some days we work through example questions, some days we just use as a note taking tool. We encourage the students to keep their composition books organized so they can use it as a tool during work time or test time.

The students are really good at using the composition book to house the handouts from class, but most kids do not take the time and energy into their own note taking. If we ask them to write something they will write it, but the majority will not take the time to write out their own examples...except for one child!

Meet T! This sweet boy takes it upon himself to write math notes from our mini lessons in his composition book each and every day. T has realized this is how he learns best. During the mini lesson he listens intently, then takes a few minutes before his Must Do time to jot down hints to help him when he's working independently. He does this diligently, without being told. T can also be seen going back to his notes during work time. I am so proud of this young man and his willingness to tackle this project. T understands his own learning style, and has created a tool that he'll carry with him to middle school and beyond!

T has also inspired me as his math teacher to reflect on my own practices and find a better way to organize my students' math journals next year! I spoke to him about his post-it note tabs. T thought it would be helpful for next year's students if the book was organized by math strand. What a fabulous idea, T!! So proud of you! Thank you for being you!

 Just recently T's added tabs to his composition book so he can easily see the concepts. 

~ Kate

What is your "Why"?

What is your "Why"?

As the beginning of the year draws closer and closer, I had the great opportunity to be a part of my building's "Leadership Academy" team. This team has representatives from all grades and areas, and we work to look over our building data (yes...I'm a total data geek! I fully admit and accept that fact! :) We, as a team, use this data to set goals for our upcoming school year. Tough, but extremely rewarding work! I look forward to this every summer!

At our first meeting together this summer, my building leaders shared the following video with us to get our gears moving. Their hope was to help us narrow our building "why":

It's a great one...an "oldie, but goodie" and totally worth the 18 minutes. I saw this during my most recent grad program, and it inspired me to get and read the book: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It's a wonderful and fast read, and it really helps you reflect on your practice.

It's funny how you can see something at different times in your life and it means something different each time. Seeing the video again (even if it was the 10+ time I have seen it...it's that good) in my current situation, it was wonderful to use it to help me reflect on the "why" of our program in T.E.A.M. Togetherness.

What is our "why" in T.E.A.M. Togetherness? I think if it really came down to it, our first and foremost goal is for our kiddos to show growth. Why do we do what we do?--We believe that all kids can grow. But I think it goes deeper than just the word "grow." We want our kiddos to grow:

• As learners--we want them to know more than they did before.  

I think most teachers would say that. Who wouldn't, right? But I think it goes even deeper than that. We also want them to grow:

• As collaborators--we want them to grow their skills and strategies in working together
• As problem solvers--we want them to grow their thinking and attack any problem they are faced with
• As questioners--we want them to continually ask questions to learn, to challenge their thinking, and to push the thinking of those around them
• As failures--we want them to be okay with their failures/mistakes. They can work to grow their thinking and learning from those mistakes and setbacks. Fail FORWARD!
• As reflectors--we want them to grow in their" thinking about their thinking", set goals, and reflect on their progress
• As 21st century learners--we want them to grow with and understand the digital tools at their fingertips and the responsibilities that go with them
• As contributors--we want them to grow in the quality of their contributions to our classroom community, as well as in the world they enter outside of our space
• As the little, wonderful, individual people that they are--we want them to grow in their own confidence, abilities, and understanding/respect of themselves for WHO THEY ARE--to be proud of that--and to know enough about themselves to use their strengths and weaknesses to their advantage throughout our year together--and in their future lives!

Whew!--That's a lot for that one little word--GROW! I'm sure I could keep going. I'm sure that our thinking will change, too, as the year progresses and those little people push our own thinking with their amazing growth! So, to follow Simon Sinek's bullseye completely through (similar to his Apple model):

• Our "Why": We are a team that believes all students can show growth
• Our "How": We will provide them with what they need, when they need it, and give them choice and ownership in the process. All this takes place within...
• Our "What": Our personalized learning environment...Wanna join us?

Our district has an amazing phrase that I feel truly connects to our "why": Every Student. Every Time. All the Time. This year, our school will have this posted in every classroom and connect it to all that we do and communicate. Could there be an even better message?!--I think not! I absolutely LOVE it!

I feel that we, in T.E.A.M. Togetherness, a personalized learning environment, have that full potential to reach "Every Student. Every Time. All the Time." And our "Why"?-- to help our kiddos grow--in the ways that they need, at the times that they need it.

As you start your own year, I challenge you to think of your own "why"--why do you do what you do? Can you communicate it to your families? Your leaders? Your peers? And most importantly: Your students? When you pull out that thing you've "always done, every year, for the last X years"--ask yourself "why"? and does it match with your foundational "why"? Or is it merely a convenient "what"? Could you change it? Could you make it better? Could you scrap it altogether and start with something more meaningful that truly connects to Every Student. Every Time. All the Time? Feel free to comment below with your own "why"--we'd love to learn with you!

~Angela

We're Blogging!

I'm Kate, the other half of T.E.A.M. Togetherness. I have been writing on my personal blog for the last 8 years, but this is my first attempt at sharing professional tips, tricks, and ideas. When Angela told me we were starting a classroom blog I was over-the-moon excited, but a little nervous too.  For starters, I do not consider myself to be the best writer...I write like a speak, usually too fast, without thinking things entirely through. I don't do well with rough drafts and tend to hit "publish" before I reread. With that said, I will try VERY hard to proofread my posts prior to publication (how's that for alliteration!). 

Rewind. I met Angela in August of 2012. She was new to Elmbrook and Swanson. I saw her at our back to school inservice and immediately introduced myself. I had been teaching in the building for 12 years and couldn't imagine how she'd be feeling walking into a brand new school after having an established career in a neighboring district. From the get-go I knew I liked her. She was approachable and very down-to-earth. Plus, truth be told, she had on a darling pair of Levi's and I had to know their number! As the school year started our days were quickly filled with teaching and I didn't see Angela very often. Swanson is a big school- she taught 2nd grade downstairs and I taught 5th grade upstairs. Now you're probably thinking, big deal, but with a school our size and opposite schedules, you don't often run across people. That year though, I made an effort to get to know her. I found some of her handouts in the copy room and I tracked her down begging her for them. She graciously said "Of course!" and from that moment on I would make weekly visits, soon to be daily visits, down to her room. Her 2nd graders freaked me out a bit (they're so little), but in the same breath my 5th graders intimidated her a tad too. 

Towards the end of the school year I found out I would be leaving 5th grade and moving down to 4th. I had taught many years in 4th grade, but had fallen in love with 5th graders. I was apprehensive and very sad to be making the move, but I trusted my administrator and knew deep down that it would be just fine. Status quo just seemed to be easier at the moment. I remember being in the middle of teaching Social Studies when I looked up and saw Angela standing in my doorway. It wasn't a totally unheard of thing for her to be in my room, but when she asked if she could talk to me...in the hallway or maybe the back of the room, I wondered what in the world was going on. Keep in mind, I was in the middle of teaching thirty 5th graders about the Revolutionary War. I sent them on their way to work and stepped aside to speak to Angela. Little did I know in that moment my entire teaching career would change. A split second decision would turn my professional life upside down and send me on a journey that would grow me in ways I didn't know possible. 

When Angela asked me to embark on this adventure I said yes without any hesitation...I had NO idea what the "Uncommittee" was, I could not comprehend what it was that was going on in her head, and to be quite frank, I barely knew the woman. We had spoken at work, she had shared a few student handouts with me, but it's not like I had known her very long. It didn't matter though. I was thrown back to that first inservice day, when I introduced myself and my gut said, "I like her." With a smile from ear to ear, I walked back into my classroom and continued on with my teaching. 

In the next few weeks, as news of our idea spread throughout the staff, I was faced with a lot of people who were apprehensive and questioned my decision. One teammate kept asking me if I knew what I was getting myself in to. My response every time was, "No, I have no idea...but I don't care. It's going to be great. I just know it." Now, as we start Year Two, I am confident saying that it was THE BEST decision I have made professionally. My excitement for teaching is back and I look forward to teaching each day. I have grown so much as a teacher over the last year, and I am confident that this year will be even better! 

Thank you, Angela for asking me to join you on this journey! I am forever grateful. 

~ Kate

The Birth of a T.E.A.M.

Now that we've started this blogging journey, we should probably back up a little to the "birth" of T.E.A.M. Togetherness.

After 11 years of teaching in one amazing district, I had the tremendous fortune of joining my current district. I have tremendous respect for the new senior leaders and would follow them anywhere. When they took their new positions, I, too, applied, and was accepted.

In January of 2013, our senior leadership developed a new initiative called "The Uncommittee." The purpose was to rethink instructional practices and explore innovation. They invited teachers from throughout the district to be a part of the first cohort. We partnered with the amazing Jim Rickabaugh at The Institute at CESA #1, and visited schools and districts around us that were successfully implementing personalized learning. We observed, learned, and brainstormed our own ideas to bring to our district. In April, we were given the opportunity to write our own proposals for funding.

I approached Kate with my hair-brained idea, and without hesitation, she agreed. She didn't know details. She didn't know the plan. She simply trusted me and agreed. I can never thank her enough for that. From that one encounter, our partnership was born.

Our Plan

We teach in a very traditional district. Change was going to be tough. Sometimes unwelcome. Sometimes viewed by others as "crazy." Knowing that, we decided to go as "crazy" as possible!

1. Knock down a wall between two classrooms to create one shared learning space

2. Share 50+ 4th graders

3. Recreate the space to not include desks or seating for each student. Include unique layouts that provide alternative seating options for students to choose from

4. One-to-one technology via Google Chromebooks

5. Utilize inquiry, project-based learning, collaboration, and student interest to drive instruction

6. Students share and reflect upon learning using digital portfolios and weekly goal setting.

7. and more!

The wall finally came down mid-August 2013

The summer of 2013 was spent planning, stressing, planning some more, meeting with our new 4th grade team, stressing, and finally stressing. Communication with families was critical, but we will save that for a future blog post.

Ultimately, it all came together (by the skin of our teeth) and we met our 50 wonderful darlings at the end of August.

We have so much to share about our first year in T.E.A.M. Togetherness (which, of course, I won't do all in one post!) The ups, the downs, and the in betweens. We are now looping with our kiddos to 5th grade for the 2014-2015 school year. We will be continuing our journey and sharing our work. Thanks for learning along with us.

~Angela

The beginning...

So, it began on a Sunday. I've had this idea stewing around in my head for a while...BLOGGING. I follow so many amazing educational leaders on Twitter and that other thing called "the world wide inter web." Their blogs teach me new things every day and help me reflect on my own practices. They move me. They make me aspire to be a better educator. The help me feel connected--that I'm not alone in my crazy thinking about change. These people...these "strangers" from around the world...impact my life. We live in a truly tremendous age where this kind of learning is possible.

Which brings me to my own work. I am so fortunate to do what I do--to LOVE what I do. I am so fortunate that what I do helps people rethink their own practices in my small corner of the world. I didn't set out with that intention. It was a the most amazing "accident." And because of what I do, people around my teaching partner and I are always asking us to share our work...and we do...just not in such a public format. But what if? What if we could have a more widespread impact? What if we could be the ones to make a difference to others half a world away? Could I be so brazen as to think so? To take that risk?

Blogging?  ME?!?  I'll admit it...I'm a little worried about this. I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I also don't show my fear well. It makes me very uncomfortable. It makes me fallible.  But I read a quote once that said "It's only when I'm truly scared, that I know I'm being audacious enough." (Thanks @AngelaMaiers). So, I figured...why not take the leap? I'll put myself out there. I'll do something that makes me uncomfortable. I'll try my best to help "change the world" one blog at a time (what a lofty hope... :)

Thankfully, my amazing "work wife", Kate, has fully supported my flavor of "crazy", and has blogging experience, herself. She'll be contributing to our journey, as well, which gives me some added comfort.

So, here I am. Welcome to the blogger world! I hope you accept me. I hope you find our work useful. I hope I can make mistakes. I hope that this entire process helps me grow, connect, and evolve in ways I didn't know before. So, THANKS, for taking this risk with me.

~Angela