ICS Dynamic Learning - Interactive Classrooms

Last year, ICS implemented the first phase of its Dynamic Learning Initiative: Environment. It is said that every classroom has three teachers - the teacher, other students and the room. Classrooms must be structured in a way that promotes engagement. Time spent actively engaged leads to learning gains. Learning gains brings knowledge. Knowledge brings power.

ICS classrooms are powerful. They are dynamic.  

This approach entailed the following research based components:  

Flexible / Mobile Seating

*students shouldn't feel trapped in a desk and sitting still shouldn't be a goal in and of itself

360° Classrooms

*education shouldn't be limited to a notebook; space within the classroom should be maximized for student usage

Differentiated Instruction

*time-on-task is most conducive to learning gains when it is appropriately challenging for each student

Student Autonomy

*one of the best strategies for engaged learning is offering choice; this also leads to greater self-awareness and meta-cognition

Classrooms were outfitted with standing desks with swinging foot-gates, bouncy bands for desks / chairs, bean bag chairs, and dry erase surfacing.

This new equipment ushered in not only a change in where students were learning but it also changed the way in which the learning process was occurring across the ICS campus.

Almost organically (albeit, purposefully), instructional design started to reimagine areas of the classroom for various purposes. Seating arrangements within classrooms changed to meet the instructional needs of the lesson. Rows morphed into clusters. Instruction shifted from whole class to small groups and individuals. Technology blended into daily courses as one of a handful of centers of learning for students. As such, students participated in the content and skills in highly engaged ways.

In short, the learning became interactive. It became dynamic.

As we continue to build this vision for education into a reality at Incarnation Catholic School, the next phase of the ICS Dynamic Learning Initiative focuses on using the Environment to foster Interactive Classrooms.

Founded on the concept of deliberate practice (K. Anders Ericsson) and based on the instructional approach "Daily 5", these Interactive Classrooms strive for small group and even individualized instruction so that each student can interact with teachers in developmentally challenging ways. Learning targets and pathways become based on the needs of each student. Standards-based assessment and feedback is geared toward the progress of the student. Students have autonomy and choice. They take responsibility for and ownership of their learning. They work collaboratively and creatively. Students produce, create, publish, present, analyze, synthesize, defend - they learn.

As humans, God hardwired us to detect patterns, to search for solutions, to seek out and conquer challenges. He created us to constantly grow, develop, improve, innovate, enhance and advance.

We were made to learn.

And with hard work and the right approaches, we can and will learn anything.

Resources:
http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/EricssonDeliberatePracticePR93.PDF

https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5

http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/EducationalTimeFactors.pdf

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED192454.pdf

http://www.marzanocenter.com/files/Teaching-for-Rigor-20140318.pdf

http://thethirdteacherplus.com

Power Standards 2.0 - Rubrics

Presenter: Mr. Robert Yevich, Principal at Nativity Catholic School

Power Standards:

-http://incarnationcsca.blogspot.com/2016/02/power-standards.html 

Rubrics for Power Standards

-used for summative assessments

-not the end of the work - the beginning of designing rubrics

Example: PE Power Standard

-Standard: PE.6.1.3.1 - Participate in moderate physical activity on a daily basis

-Students Will Know (SWK): Vocabulary - moderate, physical activity, cool down, warm-up, stretching; reach a target heart rate; many benefits; can come via many forms or avenues

-Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT): Participate in moderate physical activity; maintain a weekly exercise log book; Explain the reasons why warm-up and cool down are necessary steps of physical activities

-Rubric:

4 = In addition to 3.0, student may be able to do the following: exercise more frequently, coach or teach an activity or exercise, participate in high intensity activity, reflecting upon own progress

3 = Choose an exercise activity to perform on a daily basis; maintain a weekly exercise log book; explain the reasons that stretching before and after is important

2 = Hits on 3.0 activities, but inconsistently or incompletely

1 = With help, student can do 2.0

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Teacher Observations

From 10/10/16

DOSP In-Service

Vocabulary Instruction:

Very organized approach

Good movement around classroom

Interaction between students
-scripted, Kagan style of interaction

Students reading in chorus

Think time after each prompt

Application questions to deepen understanding of the words

Review - discard, indistinct, absurd, curtail
-examples for students to select correct word
-students showing answers with hands

Use of overhead Elmo

Objectives? Age group? How else can students be engaged? More release / independence for students

Kindergarten:

Repetition of rules - lead by student

-students repeating them out loud

-with certain rhythm based on content

Kinesthetic 

Bodies-up, a bubble in your mouth

Alphabet Song - kinesthetic, repetition of letter sounds

Positive reinforcement - happy new year, truck driver

Tell your neighbor, that's Pippa Pig

Gestures for making the letter P

Kagan - 1's and 2's 

-review of procedures and expectations

Movement back to seats for centers

High School:

Education 3.0

Dr. Jeff Borden
Bethany Center
October 10, 2016
Training within the Diocese of St. Petersburg

Forgetting Curve
-how many times does it take for something to get entrenched in memory?
-the more we are reminded of things, the longer we can remember it
-however, everyone has a different "forgetting curve" - how long they can not be reminded of something and not forget it
-Head Magnet: https://headmagnet.com

Learning: to acquire knowledge of or a skill in something by study, experience, or being taught

What if we learn something wrong?

Learning isn't just taking in something new, it is consciously allowing something new to take over something that we've learned before

Learning 3.0
-Neuroscience, education technology, education psychology = connected neuro-learning

Rigor
-demanding, difficult, extremely thorough, exhaustive, while accurate

How do you measure rigor?
*Typically, this is what education does to enhance rigor:
-testing, speeding up instructional objectives
-less time, younger, less mature, quantity

Rigor is not more, earlier

Rigor at Scale
-Challenge, Satisfaction, Skill, Focus, Anticipation
-requires technology

SAMR (Puentdura - 2002)
*need to move up from substitution to redefinition RE: using technology
-Redefinition
-Modification
-Augmentation
-Substitution

Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - 2000)
-Gaming culture
-Challenge vs. Abilities

Social-Emotional Learning
-We can't learn if we are anxious
-Must consider this RE: enhancing rigor
-Matthew Lieberman: http://www.scn.ucla.edu
-our brains wake up desiring connection - it stays activated until we encounter a task
-our brains desire to work with someone on a task

Boredom releases cortisol - causes heart problems, depression, overeating - bad things!
-"If someone is bored for more than 7 minutes, you're killing them!" (Dr. Jeff Borden)

Mark Edmundson
-students go to college for the "Great Lecturer"
-however, research shows that we learn less through lectures
-brain activity is extremely low during lectures - similar to watching TV (there is more brain activity in sleep)

Redefinition: http://www.historypin.org/en/

Focus - norepinephrine
-just enough conflict to stay engaged - too much is overwhelming, too little is boring
-as teachers, how can we create just the right amount of conflict to spur motivation?

Dopamine
-released when we believe we can attain something
-this belief can allow for us to accomplish something

Tell, show, do, review, ask
-Rewire this - Do, Show, Tell, Review, Ask - we need to allow students to do more

Endorphines and Dopamine
-recognizing patterns releases these two

Chords from "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"
-date all the way back to 1690
-artists have used these 9 chords countless times
-Create, consume, remix and share

John Medina - Brain Rules
-http://innovation.saintleo.edu
-http://incarnationcsca.blogspot.com/2015/02/brain-based-learning-and-stem.html

Power Standards

Diocese of St. Petersburg Professional Development Workshop for Teachers
-Friday February 26, 2016
-Presenters: Mr. Robert Yevich and Dr. Mark Majeski

Power Standards 

*Catholic School brand

-We will work harder than anyone else

-We can do hard things

-We can learn anything

*Much of teaching feels like an assembly line

-disconnected from the other steps in the assembly

-fast paced, mechanical vs. fluid / organic

-factory, product vs. creation, art

*Growth vs. fixed mindset

-we can learn anything vs. learning / intelligence is fixed

-fixed mindsets could led to lower performance, less transfer of knowledge and skills

*Application of learning

-acquisition, meaning, transfer

-transfer learning / skills to new situations signals the deepest level of understanding

-interdisciplinary – bring in content and skills learned in other disciplines to solve problems

*Alignment between and among desired results, learning activities and assessments (the three stages of Understanding by Design)

-alignment between and among objectives, activities and assessments on a daily basis

-alignment to standards

-alignment to standardized tests

*Power Standards

-must include endurance, leverage and readiness for the next level

-Endurance – will this standard last beyond an assignment or test; ex: proficiency in reading

-Leverage – will this standard have application in other disciplines; ex: proficiency in reading graphs, tables and charts

-Readiness – will this standard provide essential knowledge or skills for success at the next level; ex: simplifying fractions, converting in order to add/subtract with unlike denominators

*Links / Resources

http://www.rentonschools.us/Page/1628 

http://www.lwsd.org/Parents/Teaching-Curriculum/Pages/Power-Standards.aspx 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2015/02/priority_standards_the_power_of_focus.html 

http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/Focus%20in%20Math_091013_FINAL.pdf 

http://soltreemrls3.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/solution-tree.com/media/pdf/presentations/drilling-deeper/Spiller-DevelopingEssentialStandards.pdf

ICS Dynamic Learning - Environment

ICS Dynamic Learning -  education that is positive in attitude and full of energy and new ideas

One of the biggest indicators of student success relates to time on task. In short, student academic achievement increases in direct proportion to the amount of time they spend actively engaged in the instructional time. 

This approach makes logical sense. The more time spent dribbling a basketball, the better one becomes at dribbling. The more hours occupied in reading, the broader one's vocabulary. More time spent exercising leads to better fitness. Do something more often and become better at it. 

But, this time spent practicing must be purposeful; it must be worthwhile. Dribbling a basketball with just one hand while standing still will not affect as much improvement in ball-handling as working with both hands while moving. Vary your movement, pace, hand - more actively engage in the activity - and your skill in that area will improve. 

So then, time-on-task entails more than just counting seconds, minutes, hours or days. Instead, it involves making those seconds, minutes, hours and days count.

Flexible / Mobile Seating

*students shouldn't feel trapped in a desk and sitting still shouldn't be a goal in and of itself

Being sedentary leads to health problems including obesity and back problems (https://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/national/the-health-hazards-of-sitting/750/). Furthermore, being sedentary with our bodies leads to being sedentary with our brains. In his work titled, Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina proposes that our brains work best when our bodies are in motion at a pace of about 1.8 miles per hour (http://www.brainrules.net). In this way, classrooms filled with desks and chairs keep kids both seated and still. While prolonged focus has its benefits, learning - an active process - requires action. 

Photo from http://flaglerlive.com/69536/learnfits-flagler-schools/ 

Students should be presented with more flexible learning spaces allowing for standing and movement to help promote health and a healthy brain. 

Standing desks and bands for students' feet can help to put the body in a posture for greater mental capacity. 

From http://www.nea.org/tools/47003.htm 

360° Classrooms

*education shouldn't be limited to a notebook; space within the classroom should be maximized for student usage

Another way to incorporate movement into classrooms and promote engagement is to have students out of their "seats" and using all available wall space to work. Most typically used in math, 360 degree classrooms make use of dry erase, chalkboard or glass surfaces in order to give students functional and organic work spaces. 360 degree classrooms can allow for teachers to provide formative feedback easily as student work is readily displayed for the teacher's analysis. 

Photo from http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/01/math-is-fun-360-degree-math 

Differentiated Instruction

*time-on-task is most conducive to learning gains when it is appropriately challenging for each student

Photo from http://uprepschool.org/our-program/academic/ 

When academic activities offer too much or too little of a challenge for a student, his/her engaged time-on-task decreases. In turn, his/her learning gains will also decrease. Therefore, classrooms should allow for small group instruction and differentiation. 

A common practice in early childhood and primary classrooms, small group instruction typically wanes in Upper Elementary and Middle and High School classrooms in favor of tracking and one-size fits all instruction. 

Resources available for small group instruction can lead to more specific and individualized plans while at the same time promoting motion and activity within the room. 

Student Autonomy

*one of the best strategies for engaged learning is through choice; this also leads to greater self-awareness and meta-cognition

Providing students with choices as to how they can engage in a classroom is an incredibly motivating strategy. Giving students the ability to self-analyze how they best learn - standing, sitting, using a band for their feet, comfortably sitting in a bean bag chair, etc. - and then affording them the ability to utilize that strategy throughout the learning process can awaken and enliven the educational process. 

Photo from http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/21828760-Students-ditch-desks-for-bean-bags 

This self-analysis can promote self-assessment (one of the most valid assessment strategies) and meta-cognition. A student who is thinking about their thinking and free to choose the setting in which he/she learns best will be more apt to identify their own misconceptions, errors and or gaps in learning. This, in turn, provides formative feedback to both students and teachers, promoting greater differentiation, purposeful instruction and engaged learning. 

Environment

*it is said that every classroom has three teachers - the teacher, other students and the room 

Classrooms must be structured in a way that promotes engagement. Time spent actively engaged leads to learning gains. Learning gains brings knowledge. Knowledge brings power. 

Unleash it. 

Photo from: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1637619/redesigning-education-why-cant-we-be-in-kindergarten-for-life 

Resources:
http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/EducationalTimeFactors.pdf

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED192454.pdf

http://www.marzanocenter.com/files/Teaching-for-Rigor-20140318.pdf

http://thethirdteacherplus.com

21st Century Learners and Lesson

Four Topics to Address with Designing a Lesson
 Stamina
Making Meaning
Multiple Intelligences
Technology

Stamina
Noun: Strength of physical constitution; power to endure (Dictionary.com)

Stamina in Classroom
GOAL: Change it up every ten minutes...
Get students out of their seats, talking with one another, brain breaks, WHATEVER.

Making Meaning
Psychologists Piaget and Anderson suggest a key ingredient to students’ learning is making meaning and building on preexisting knowledge.

Whiteboard talks, KWL, Drawing pictures, Partner pictures.

Essential Questions… Real life purpose why this matters to my life

Multiple Intelligences: Avenue for Differentiation, Multiple Mediums for Reaching All Students
8 Intelligences – by Dr. Howard Gardner
1.    Linguistic
2.    Logical/ Mathematical
3.    Spatial
4.    Bodily/ Kinesthetic
5.    Musical
6.    Interpersonal
7.    Interpersonal
8.    Naturalistic

Components to Include in a Lesson
·      Video
·      SmartExchange/ PowerPoint
·      Independent Work
·      Partner/ Small Group
·      Whole Group
·      Movement
·      Direct Instruction

Links/ Work Cited

•http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=135:whole-brain-teachers-of-america&Itemid=10

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qV8qyX1b_Y

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FwgoWTXg7E

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26xQHAASMSU

•http://www.nea.org/home/46989.htm

•http://raider.mountunion.edu/~schnelpl/ed%20150w%20lit%20website/MIChecklis.pdf  

•Marc Prensky 2001 Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

•http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-steinberg/technology-for-schools-an_b_2805201.html

•http://www.institute4learning.com/multiple_intelligences.php

•https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/teaching-students-stay-focused 

•http://derekandersonworks.com/former-kentucky-wildcat-talks-to-students-about-stamina/