Benchmark Visits

Benchmark Classroom Visits

I just wanted to say thank you for my most recent round of visits!  Considering the condition which all of our classrooms were in a mere two weeks ago, I can honestly say that I am floored with the transformation our learning communities have taken due to your hard work and dedication.  You should be proud of yourselves!  I certainly am!

Here are some highlighted rubric points from the visits

• September Environment Benchmark (SEB), Teacher 1a: Teacher’s interaction with students are aimed to help them to establish independent activity goals.  
  In Jessica's Chemistry Class, Sky explained to me how much she loved her learning videos.  "It's like she's still teaching me, but I get to pause, rewind, or replay her whenever I want.  "Look at my notes!" she says as she proudly thrusts her notebook to me, "I always wrote down things before, but now I'm actually using them to do my work!"  
  

• SEB Student 2b:  Students are free to express themselves and may move freely about the room during independent worktime, demonstrating responsibility for adhering to ground rules for collaboration (i.e., they are on task and non- disruptive). Assigned seating is highly discouraged (students need to learn to collaborate responsibly and cannot do so when choices are restricted).  
  In Elena's Spanish Class, Olufemi walked back to the resource wall to figure out which worksheet to begin working on.  I asked her how she was making her choice.  At first, she just said "I don't know."  Then, I just kept looking at her, so in true Femi fashion, she sighed, trudged to her desk, and returned with her learning contract which listed the learning targets.  I watched her reread the targets, look at the wall of worksheets, and pick one of them.  I asked her why she picked that particular one.  She said "I got to choose which targets I wanted to do.  So, I chose these two (pointing to the worksheet).  This worksheet here (one about geography) matches my this target (about learning about the Spanish speaking world.)"

• SEB Environment 4A:  Expectations for students’ independent work responsibilities are posted throughout the room with 
• evidence they have been taught and revisited (e.g., charts indicate how to use space, time, and 
• materials).  

In Colleen's Global Humanities Classroom, expectations for work time activities are clearly posted, and through the mini-lesson students are reminded how to access resources for support prior to entering their writing work time period.  Additionally, classroom resources are clearly labeled (e.g. Mentor Texts, Graphic Organizers, etc) and referenced during the lesson as possible tools to assist in their writing process.

Things to think about

• Work Time Rubric #2D:  Students are aware of and can articulate expectations for productivity and behavior. Students can articulate short- and long-term goals for independent work and are able to specify how current work relates to long-term goals. (students should use Activity Arc (or Calendar) as a tool to self-monitor independent progress).
  There was some inconsistency among classrooms about how well students could explain their work time plan.  Some had calendars and checklists that helped them plan the whole marking period.  Some had only the worksheet that was expected to be completed for the day.  Students need to learn how to manage their time around both long and short term goals.  In the immediate sense, without a clear agenda and CLEAR timers (e.g. iPad timers projected on a screen letting them know how much time they have remaining in a particular section of the period), students are dependent on the teacher to tell them how much time is remaining.  This dependence takes away from their own sense of urgency in the period, which in turn leads to off-task behavior or feelings of confusion and frustration.  Going into Independent Work time, students should have
  
  (1) A plan for what they are going to do (task) and how they are going to do it (resources)
  (2) Understand how that immediate work connects to the broader assignments and/or learning targets
  (3) Know how much time they have to work on their projects


If you are finding that students lack this direction, you need to plan for mini-lessons (if you see a large majority of the class struggling in this way) and/or conferences (for individual cases) that will instill with them the expectation and capacity to achieve these three core pieces prior to entering into Work Time.  Additionally, focusing your development of quality UR groups will build student capacity to independently problem solve and plan for their tasks (more on this in my next post).

• Work Time Rubric #2C:   Students have on their possession materials needed to succeed in meeting goals for independent work. AND Environment Rubric #4a:  General resources available on every table include Standards Indicators, dictionary, and sharpened pencils, pens, paper, etc. Resources & materials for independent activities are clearly identified,accessible and ready for student use.
  
  Additionally, the resources available to students varied widely from class to class.  Some students had a very clear understanding of where to look to get help to complete assigned tasks.  Others expressed frustration as they worked on worksheets, uncertain where to turn to get help on problems they didn't understand, maps that were confusing, or concepts that didn't make sense to them.  For every task that you ask students to complete, please make sure that the necessary resources are available.  For example
  
  (1) Videos and links to explain new or review concepts
  (2) Mentor Texts to model types of writing or problem solutions
  (3) General Materials (e.g. dictionaries, rulers, calculators, whiteboards, pens, paper, etc.)

I'll be conferencing with each one of you to discuss your individual strengths, needs and goals regarding the Benchmark Visits (see calendar below).  If you want see how the whole school did, here are the complete results