Teacher's Diary

Field Trip to Stony Brook University

 

Recently, my students got the chance to perform two labs using equipment in the Stony Brook University Earth and Space Center. Above is a picture of them using the stream table, a really cool piece of equipment that allows students to see rivers forming and changing on a small scale. They loved it! They got to get their hands dirty building a dam, examine how changes in slope changed the rivers that formed and watch a delta get destroyed by storm surge from a hurricane.

The second lab was on porosity and permeability - this one wasn't as good as the first one. For one thing, it wasn't explained as well, the kids were tired after a long day and weren't listening as well and it was also something that we could have easily done back at the classroom. If I go again, I think I would only do the stream tables lab and then perhaps take them on a full campus tour of the university.

We did get a mini tour, however, to the administration building where they have "Stony Brook's Dinosaur." The Majungasaurus crenatissimus is a 70-million year old carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Madagascar by a team of paleontologists from Stony Brook. The full skeleton is on display there and is pretty interesting, with its strange front limbs and long tail. If you do take a trip to Stony Brook, make sure not to miss this!

If you are interested in taking your own classes to the labs at Stony Brook, see the Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME) website. They offer programs not just in Earth Science, but also Physics, Biotechnology and Chemistry. The programs are regularly $20 per student, but the fee is waived for Title I schools. I highly recommend the program!

The Value of Teachers

Back in January, I was forwarded the following article numerous times. This New York Times article talks about the "value added" of a really good teacher versus the detrimental value of a bad teacher, over the course of just one year. I think the article has a lot of interesting things to say and the idea of value-added certainly has data to back it up.

What I struggle with in terms of this idea is how we can develop good teachers. From my own experience and what I've heard from others, it takes 4-5 years for a new teacher to really find his or her footing in the classroom. This means 4-5 years of not so great teaching and 4-5 classes of students who are now behind grade level as a result. I know for a fact that my second year, I was better than my first, and I know I'm slightly better than last year this year. Still, that doesn't mean I'm serving my students as well as I should be. According to the article, having a bad teacher one year can affect a student for a lifetime, not just through high school.

I think the solution lies in training teachers better and offering good ways for in-service teachers to improve their practice every year. The problem is that too many teachers go into the classroom unprepared, through programs like Teach for America and NYC Teaching Fellows (the program I did) and then on top of that, they are not offered enough support during their early years to develop into strong teachers. That's not to say that none of these teachers become good teacher - I hope that some day I will be able to count myself among the strongest teachers at my school. But I will say that if I do become a strong teacher, it will be because I made an effort to go out and do professional development on my weekends and over the summer, and because I sought out feedback from my administrators and peers. I like getting feedback, but rarely get it without asking for it. For teacher who are nervous about having others come into their classroom, that feedback during their critical first years might not happen. Teachers may develop bad habits that will be hard to break later or they may grow tired of struggling over the same things and leave the profession entirely.

Obviously, this isn't a straightforward issue, or I assume it would have been fixed long ago. My question, however, is how do we create a stronger force of teachers? The author suggests that huge monetary improvements could be made for children if we simply relaced the bottom 5% of teachers with average teachers. But where do we find these average teachers? How do we help the bottom 5% become average (and if we did, wouldn't that just change where the average falls)?

I don't think anyone can fully answer these questions as yet, but I hope more research will start to uncover what gives some teachers success and leads others to fail miserably.

 

In Honor of Super Bowl Sunday...

I am a huge football fan and am excited that my team is going to be playing later tonight. However, I wanted to take an opportunity to share an article that was forwarded to me and is entirely relevant to the topic of Super Bowl Sunday.

In "More Super Bowl School", Deanna Burney discusses what educators can learn from professional sports, specifically football. She talks about how football players all study a playbook and therefore have a common vocabulary with which to communicate with each other. They go through the plays in practice and work together on the field to reach their ultimate goals. Similarly, educators could perhaps benefit from a common language to discuss teaching. Burney uses the example of the term "differentiated instruction." It's a term that I regularly use and I think I employ the concept fairly well, yet when I talk to other teachers, they mean something completely different when they use the same word.

Part of the problem is that education doesn't seem to be as collaborative as it could be. I am on listservs and participate in workshops and people are very willing to share ideas if you ask. But at the same time, I feel that educators in my own school are often so wrapped up in what they have to do that they don't take the time to help out a colleague who is struggling.

I think the Common Core Standards and national standards in general are an attempt to give teachers a common curriculum and language for talking about learning. However, there is still not enough spirit of helping each other - too many teachers just stick to their own classroom and a small group of friends like they are on individual islands. I think what needs to happen to remedy this situation and develop better communities is that educators need to be forced out of their comfort zone and into professional development that will help them achieve common understanding of concepts and vocabulary.

Xtranormal - Make Your Own Teaching Movies

Hypothesis
by: otandon

Here's a cool new tool I recently discovered: Xtranormal, a website that allows you to create your own animated movie. The program is a little buggy and it crashed my browser once in the making of this movie. It's also very slow to load. That said, the results are pretty cool and I'm interested in classroom applications. Perhaps I create a short video like this one that poses a question and students must create their own animated response? The difficulties arise from the fact that some of my students don't have reliable computer and/or internet access at home and my current school is fairly low tech, with just one computer lab and 2 laptop carts that are always in complete disarray. Last week, I tried unsuccessfully to get my students some computer time to do research for their water project. Oh well. For now, I can make my own little teaching tools - maybe animations will hold their attention more than my boring voice! One can only hope...

Remembering to Enjoy Science

Looking on the bright side has been helping me focus on positivity instead of negativity. My outlook on teaching is still good - by keeping the positive in mind, I know that I still enjoy teaching and especially hands-on science. That is what the learning is all about.

While I'm still getting annoyed with my students for not being respectful or caring about my carefully planned lessons, I'm also trying to remind myself to enjoy the ride, so to speak. I became a science teacher because I love science. Through the first half of this year, I seem to have forgotten that. I need to take a step back and actually enjoy these lessons. I know for a fact that the more into them I get, the more into them the students will get. I don't want to become one of those teachers who is bitter and has a sour face every day - but that's what I have been like for the past few months. I want to be known as the crazy, fun science teacher!

It's going to take effort, but I have to remember that my students are not meant to be my friends. It doesn't matter if I make a fool of myself in front of them.

Guest Posting: The Dangers of Technology in Schools

Since I have been so lax in writing lately, others have sent me articles of their own. Here is one that is in response to a post I wrote last year about using technology in the classroom.

The author, Lindsey Wright, is fascinated with the potential of emerging educational technologies, particularly the online school, to transform the landscape of learning. She is a content writer for online college classes, where she writes about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning, and the possible future of education. Here's what she has to say:

 

Cell phones, email and the advent of the Internet have brought about a number of changes to the world as we know it. Over the last two decades, the world has gone from snail mail that may take weeks or months to reach its destination to instant communication in practically every corner of the globe. People can now take online classes where they communicate with their classmates or professor via Internet and millions of people worldwide have a social networking profile that allows for instant communication with friends and relatives at all hours of the day. However, not all of these changes have been positive. With such immediate communication, people sometimes make regrettable decisions in the messages they send. Over the last ten years, the United States and other countries have seen a rise in school violence, and there have been a number of instances that have created circumstances that have put children in immediate danger.

Social Networks

There is no doubt that kids will be kids, and picking on one another for individual shortcomings is a simple part of human nature. However, with access to social websites where kids can continue their ridicule during the hours away from school, those taking the brunt of these personal attacks may feel as if there is no escape. While kids can control who has access to their profile, there are a number of ways some kids are tricked into allowing the people who insult them at school to view their pages. Promises of friendship or threatening behaviors are the most popular ways bullies are given access to their potential victims. Once access is granted, it becomes business as usual for the bully. In some instances groups of kids will team up to repeatedly insult or threaten an individual or individuals, causing severe anxiety to the person being picked on or threatened. It is estimated that almost half of kids in middle or high school have at one time been a victim of bullies. However, very few have ever reported this to a parent or person of authority.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are perhaps one of the most well intentioned inventions of the 20th century. They are necessary for businesses, parents and children alike, and have saved many lives over the years. However, over the last five years the U.S. has seen a rise in the deviant use of cell phones by young adults and teenagers – such as sexting. Sexting can be described as any text sent by a person that uses graphic language or images to sexually harass another individual. This has become somewhat commonplace in schools, yet many school officials are just now becoming aware. It is estimated that roughly 20 percent of teenagers have participated in some form of sexting in high school. There are a number of campaigns by student advocate groups as well as parent awareness groups that are bringing these topics to light. To deter sexting, parents should monitor their children's cell phone usage. This can be accomplished by simply viewing the usage and finding out what numbers are on the cell phone bill.

It is undeniable that the advances of technology have provided us with some amazing benefits in recent years. Almost any type of information we desire is instantly available to us, and all we have to do is pull out our cell phones and hit a few buttons. Likewise, social networking websites such as Facebook make connecting and keeping in touch with friends, family and colleagues just as easy. Unfortunately, these same sites provide bullies with constant access to their victims.

While some may argue the instant, 24/7 communication allowed by social networking sites still far outweighs the threat of cyber bulling, the problem is some children are unable to take insults
and belittlement in stride. There are children who begin to believe the insults or become so afraid of a bully that anxiety and stress become overwhelming. Over the last few years, the relentless taunts and threats of a single bully or group of individuals have caused several children to commit suicide. Clearly all the technology advances in the world cannot surpass the death of a child or young adult, especially when the death could have been prevented had more been aware of how the child was being taunted. As such, it is imperative that teachers, parents, students and school officials are properly educated on the dangers of incessant bullying and its effects so that the cycle of humiliation and depression can be put to rest.

Welcome to 2012

As my regular readers have no doubt noticed, my posting has been extremely sparse lately. Time to come clean.

I had a very rough first semester. It was far harder than I thought it would be adjusting to a new school environment where the administration and other teachers didn't recognize my talents. The school is larger than my previous school, so I feel that I haven't stood out or gotten the attention of the administration in any way and that has been frustrating. But mostly, my bad first semester was a result of my negative attitude.

When I switched schools, I came at just the wrong time, right as an administrative change was taking place. As a result, the people who hired me told me one thing, when the reality come September was something else. Rather than teaching 2 Earth Science classes, as I had been told, I was teaching only one 32-student class and two biology classes (which I had never taught before). I felt betrayed and angry and as a result, my planning and engagement with my students suffered. I blamed behavior issues for all of my problems, instead of recognizing ways that I could improve. I'm not proud of how I acted, but at least now I've had time to sit down and think about concrete ways to improve.

I think every teacher will go through something like this at some point in their career. We are caring individuals and it hurts us when we feel that our talents are being wasted. There comes a time when idealism isn't enough to stop us from getting angry at situations we have no control over - the bureaucracy, the bad decisions of others, the difficult home lives. There is so much outside the classroom that affects our work that it can be overwhelming and disheartening to think about.

I took time over the winter break to step back and what I missed most was my passion for teaching and the great feeling I would get when something did go right. I realized that I had been focusing too much on things I couldn't change and dwelling on all the negatives, often overlooking the positive. So I made a New Year's resolution to record in writing one good thing about each school day. I did it every day this week and I already feel better. Despite all the difficulties, there are still good things happening and THAT is what matters most. I hope to post the best things here on this blog (and I'll still write about difficulties now and then). This year, you should be hearing from me more!

Photo of the Week - Greenhouse Projects

On Friday, my students mostly completed building mini-greenhouses, which we are using as a way of studying Earth's atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. I'm a big fan of project-based learning, and even though my new school doesn't require it, I'm trying to do as many hands-on labs and projects as possible. This upcoming week, my students will place their greenhouses outside with tomato and lettuce plants inside and see how they do throughout the winter. One of my students also suggested the idea of placing thermometers both inside and outside the greenhouses so we can monitor whether or not they are having a measurable effect on the air temperature inside.

I did this project last year with my students, but we only got as far a paper designs, since we never got the ok from the school to order the materials. This year, I took matters into my own hands and requested what I needed from DonorsChoose. If you haven't used it before, it is a gold mine for teachers. Check it out!

A Visit

Since today my charter school was still on Thanksgiving break while the public school children and teachers were back at work, I decided to pay a visit to the school I left behind.

A lot has changed since I left (only a few months ago). For one thing, the school has expanded - as a school entering its 4th year, it has finally reached capacity. Now, instead of being huddled on one side of a vast hallway, the school encompasses the entire floor. Classrooms have been moved around and there were many new faces, both among students and among the staff. Obviously, the principal changed over the summer and most of my former colleagues seem to think that was a good thing. However, there are still clear struggles.

For one thing, it appears that the former principal decided to screw the school over. This is yet another indication to me of how he did not care at all about the welfare of the students. Apparently he knew months before the summer that he was not going to be returning this school year, but rather than try to make positive changes, he instead destroyed the school budget over the summer, purchasing so much unnecessary crap that the school can't even afford to pay for enough teachers. The poor woman who took my job is getting paid by the day as a sub rather than as a full time teacher.

Also, it seems that discipline hasn't gotten much better. I heard that last week there was a gang fight in the stairs and the students involved didn't even get suspended. While there may be positive changes happening slowly, discipline will definitely be a major setback to true improvement.

It was nice, however, to be surrounded by familiar faces, to see kids' eyes light up when they saw me, to hear the shrieks and laughter of a place where I am accepted as a great teacher. I wish that there was more I could do to help my old students, but while I went today thinking maybe I'd try to get my old job back next year if things don't pan out at the charter, I still feel that not enough has changed. I could tell that the struggle to get the kids on track to graduate, let alone apply to college, is an incredible hurdle that is not yet being overcome.

I'll have to wait and see what the rest of this year holds for me. Luckily, I'm fairly rested and confident that I will teach as well as I possibly can, wherever I am.

Photo of the Week - Far Side of the Moon Image

I just finished up my astronomy unit and have asked my students to complete their moon phase observations over Thanksgiving break. However, this is a view of the moon they will never observe. This is an image of the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth. It is also colored based on topography, with white being the highest elevation and purple being the lowest. It's a great image that I will be showing not only in my Earth Science class, but also to my Science Olympiad team for practice with remote sensing techniques. It is a good exercise for students to analyze images like this critically, to pick out the information the picture provides. I hope you will use it with your students too.

The original photo was found here, at NASA's alway-wonderful bank of Astronomy pictures.