High Performance Expections

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

In this incredible video, 6^th grade STEM teacher Donna Migdoi teaches Newton’s three laws of motion and kinetic vs. potential energy in a collaborative and fun way. Students are broken into teams, given a budget with which to buy supplies, and asked to design and create a “roller coaster” track out of tube sections with a “car” using a marble (students can choose a big or small marble.)  I will discuss some of the elements of the project that I think are exemplary, and how I believe this project assumes very high academic, behavioral, and procedural expectations. After analyzing two other teaching videos, I will summarize with my personal classroom applications.

Multiple elements of the roller coaster project show high teacher expectations. Students began today’s lesson together in a “chiming” session. Chiming is what I would call reflection. Instead of being teacher lead, as it is in my class, Mrs. Migdoi sat off the table while the students sat at the big table and fed off of each other’s comments. Of course this requires very disciplined and focused students to stay on track and learn from each other.

After the chiming, students performed a personal plan on their papers. They carefully labeled each part of the plan/drawing, and then took their personal plans to their groups to discuss the final engineered roller coaster track. In groups, they showed designs and debated amongst themselves until they could agree on a design.

Designs were tested with computer simulations, and if the track was not safe (too much speed) changes would have to be made until students could simulate a successful design. This element of the project taught systems thinking to the students.  The idea that each element influences the whole system, and in order to figure out what was not working only one element could be tested at a time. The students continued to work together throughout this process.

Additionally, a budget was given to each team, and in order to buy materials for the tracks, students needed to spend money out of their budget. Thus students had to figure out how to solve problems without buying too many materials. It also created horizontal integration by adding real life math to the project.

From the first step to the last, this project was full of high expectations. During chiming, for example, one student from each team sat at the big table to reflect, while the rest of the class observed the reflection. My reaction is amazement at the level of class discipline that exists. My 6th grade students would not be able to sit and reflect together at the big table, let alone sit away from the table and listen respectfully to the discussion. Incredibly high behavior expectations. 

I was very impressed with the correct use of language-- another sign of a well-trained class with high academic expectations. The students were correctly using terms like "rise" and "run" and "kinetic energy" etc. In my class that is 100% ELLs, the students would get excited at the prospect of a project like this, but then would not be able to think through their thoughts in English fast enough and would likely resort the Chinese to communicate. Nevertheless I am brainstorming ways to spice up some of my projects with her ideas. 

The second video showed a Chinese teacher teaching mathematics to her students. The video can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g 

In this video a Chinese teacher is teaching math to non Chinese students, likely in an immersion school. The 2-minute clip shows how the class chants through the multiplication tables together with a rhythm. I am familiar with this rhythm in part because I have taught in China for nearly 10 years. I suppose some might feel it shows some high expectations in that students are all expected to memorize the times tables. On the other hand I remember memorizing all of the multiplication table and didn’t think it was particularly demanding. Having a song to help memorize the table would have been helpful, but the expectation was for all students to memorize all of them just the same. I don’t think I have observed any obvious higher standard among the common Chinese citizen/student verses American students/citizens. It is true that Chinese students perform exceptionally well on tests. Being more familiar with the situation here than most, I feel confident in saying that much of the superior test scores come simply from the numbers of people competing for the spots in the schools that are taking the international tests.  Consider this; there are more honor students in China than there are students in America. Combine the massive numbers with the system students follow, and the reason for the high test scores becomes more obvious. The system I’m referring to is an established process for placing students in schools. Public schools are the most competitive and cheapest. Only the best students can test into public schools. Students who do not test high enough will need to pay 20 or more times more money in order to attend a private school. Public schools are also ranked, with the highest testing students entering the best public schools. This testing, shockingly, begins in grade school. So the best test takers in 4^th grade move into more competitive classrooms and more competitive schools for 5^th grade. They also test into middle school and high school. Finally, they test into university with the infamous “gao kao.” Far from the “no child left behind” mentality which seeks to give immigrants and mentally challenged students a fair shake at a good education, China’s system is ruthless. And there are plenty of students competing for those top spots.

But there is a reason why parents of these students are fleeing China’s education system by the hundreds of thousands. Parents do not spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their children into American schools because China’s education is so great. They are paying the big bucks precisely because the system is failing its children. Only the best of the best of the best are able to study at the elite high school which participate in the international tests. Meanwhile they are competing against the AVERAGE American student, including non-native English speakers and children with disabilities. If you were to take the elite American students and contrast their scores with the average Chinese scores, you would see the same massive difference in performance.

I think it is likely helpful for students to have some kind of memorization tool to learn the multiplication tables. I do not think that China does a good job educating it’s citizens and I do not believe teachers, as a general rule, have high expectations for behavior or performance in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

The last video was perhaps the most interesting to me. I have never seen this style of “whole brain teaching” and am intrigued. I admit I don’t have a lot to say at this point because the idea is new and strange. But there are a few things I liked… First, it seems like there is tremendous classroom management. In order for the students to learn all of the signs and dances they must spend time on a regular basis learning and then reinforcing them all. The students do appear to be engaged so maybe it is worth the time. The teacher had a hand signal for longitudinal and another signal for latitudinal, and the students worked with partners to reinforce what the teacher had just showed them.

I also see that the students are regularly working together to either teach each other or reinforce the learning. This is something that I try to do as well, but I don’t think my students are ever as engaged as these students appear to be. Perhaps it is the extra movement that really gets them going.

I’m not sure I am a fan of the speed reading. It seemed like the students were enjoying themselves and doing well, but I would get distracted if it were me. I think I would be so focused on the word I was about to read that I wouldn’t have time to listen to my partner and at the end of the activity I would wonder what had just been read.

Setting High Performance Expectations Among My Students

I teach 8^th grade ELLs from China and South Korea. The roller coaster project was the closest illustration of a relevant project from my perspective. I was very impressed with the correct use of language-- another sign of a well-trained class with high academic expectations. The students were correctly using terms like "rise" and "run" and "kinetic energy" etc. In my class that is 100% ELLs, the students would get excited at the prospect of a project like this, but then would not be able to think through their thoughts in English fast enough and would likely resort the Chinese to communicate. Nevertheless I am brainstorming ways to spice up some of my projects with her ideas. 

I am also always open to finding memorization devices like the multiplication table. I think it is likely helpful for students to have some kind of memorization tool to learn the multiplication tables. I do not think that China does a good job educating it’s citizens and I do not believe teachers, as a general rule, have high expectations for behavior or performance in China.

Whole body, whole brain activities sound really effective. I admit I don’t have a lot to say at this point because the idea is new and strange. But there are a few things I liked… First, it seems like there is tremendous classroom management. In order for the students to learn all of the signs and dances they must spend time on a regular basis learning and then reinforcing them all. The students do appear to be engaged so maybe it is worth the time. The teacher had a hand signal for longitudinal and another signal for latitudinal, and the students worked with partners to reinforce what the teacher had just showed them.

I also see that the students are regularly working together to either teach each other or reinforce the learning. This is something that I try to do as well, but I don’t think my students are ever as engaged as these students appear to be. Perhaps it is the extra movement that really gets them going.

In my class, I intend to use projects like the roller coaster competition as often as possible. I realize that I will need to effectively train my students before I can expect them to stay as focused as the students on the video were. I also need to set really clear language usage expectations, along with consequences for not living up to those expectations. I think this will require a tremendous amount of upfront training, which will likely be very time consuming, however, once we have established the appropriate procedures and expected behaviors, we will be able to take on regular projects. I can see us asking the students to create their own informational videos: where they teach their peers something fun using a 4-minute video. They would have to do research and work together as a team to shoot educational videos where they speak English and teach something. Another project idea is for the students to make presentations about their favorite city. They could research and prepare a presentation for the class about the great elements of a city they love. Finally, I think perhaps we could spend time learning public speaking, and host a TED event or a speech or debate competition.

Either way I think there are numerous ways to apply the idea that teachers expectations can determine, to a large extent, the performance of the class. Obviously this has repercussions that last long after the school year completes.

Creating a Climate of Caring in middle school

In middle school, one of the most important things a teacher can do is create a climate of caring and concern in the classroom. A negative classroom climate can crush learning for the student as an adolescent, and if the climate is negative enough, can convince some students that they will never be able to __(fill in the blank)___. It seems like there is so much uncertainty among 12-14 year-olds. Often these students struggle just to “find” themselves, let along figure out where they “fit in” in the constantly changing landscape of school life. Even the lucky ones who kind of feel secure can be uprooted when someone else changes the rules on them.

Because it is such a challenging time in their lives, middle school students often take excess stress out on each other—verbally or even physically. Others give the silent treatment or shun. Friendships are broken, feelings are hurt, and life is, overall, tough.

All of that is happening before and after my students sit in my class. So how can I make my class a haven from that?

Also, I teach in China. 80% of my students are ethnic Chinese and the rest are ethnic Koreans. None of them speak English natively. Considering all of these variables, how can I create a healthy climate in my classroom? 

As a new(ish) teacher, my short answer is, “good question, I’m trying to figure it out now…” but as I study and gain further experience, I have learned some really critical things:

1)   A well-managed classroom is better for everyone, and management begins even before the first student ever steps foot in the door on the first day.

For example: how is the classroom arranged? Do I want to communicate collaborative effort with the seating arrangement? Then it needs to allow for students to see each other as opposed to only me.

Example two: What are the nonverbal cues on my walls saying? Do I only have quotes from well-known thinkers from my home country? Or have I included other regions of the world? Did I recognize the Korean students who are in the minority in my class? Does everyone feel like this is a place where we honor great people from all over the world?

2)   10-1 ratio of positive interactions to negative interactions may be impossible for some students, but it is critical to both try to reach this ratio, and also to know which students are not receiving this amount of positive reinforcement.

My students in China are used to being praised for high test scores and for modeling excellent behavior. This is good. I can also praise for these reasons. However, what has been fun and challenging for me is to find other ways to praise. Talented doodler? Creative storyteller? Above average social/leadership skills? These are all things that students can get in trouble for here, but I can try to find ways to encourage, because they actually are valuable skills and should be developed. Even more than that, many of these students do not perform well on tests and are not used to being praised. A few kind words go a long ways for some of them.

3)   Consistent consequences are critical

Not only do the consequences need to be consistently applied, but they also need to be emotionless. Fortunately it only requires 3-5 consistent applications of a rule before the whole class understands it and buys in. However, if I am inconsistent, the entire year will pass before the whole class buys in. Some will push the limits, while others will simply not believe limits exist at all.

4)   Never be afraid to love a child

Some of these students are homosexual, or overweight, or don’t feel good in their own skin for another reason. A few of them do not have anywhere to turn for love. It is important that, as a teacher, I can show interest and concern for each of my students by calling them by name, and learning about them individually. This is challenging, no doubt—I have over 200 total students—but it is possible over the course of a semester and I never know for whom this personal care is critical.