Monthly Archives: June 2015

Summer (a.k.a. My Genius Hours)

June 30, 2015Uncategorizedpaulabourque

I saw this quote on Twitter this morning – it sums up my approach to teaching so perfectly. Even though it is technically vacation, I just can’t turn off my passion or my ‘job’.

For years I heard some very talented and dedicated teachers bemoan, “We never have time to learn about what we want.” It is true, that during the school year professional development is often aligned to federal, state, district or even school initiatives- that may or may not ignite our passions. This year in my district, we offered EDCamp models during two of our workshops. The teachers shared their passions, explored their interests, and were completely engaged. While there are certainly professional responsibilities, learning, and requirements that must be addressed during school-based workshop days, I will always advocate for more “Genius Hour” opportunities for everyone in our schools.

If you are unfamiliar with the Genius Hour-the approach came from an idea at Google. They allowed their designers to spend 20% of their time to work on any project they wanted. Because of it we have Gmail and many other innovations. The idea is simple: allow employees to focus on their own passion products and productivity will go up. Others have followed by offering employees 60 minutes each week to work on new ideas or master new skills. Many schools are using this approach with their students and incorporating a Genius Hour. You can see a brief overview of this approach here:

I would love to see my schools explore this idea as an approach for professional development during the school year. But for now, I like to think of summer as my Genius Hour. I wake up almost every morning with ideas running through my mind. There are so many aspects of teaching and learning that I am curious to learn more about. There are so many others that I had never thought of until I had this time to explore!

Creating my Genius Hours

I surround myself with books that inspire and engage me. I keep them in my car, by my bed, in my beach bag. I voraciously read picture books, chapter books, YA books, novels, professional books, magazines and articles. There are post-it notes tacked to dozens of pages that may never be revisited, but those significant ideas are now a part of my collective knowledge.

I use social media to follow passionate educators and authors. I set aside some time to peruse Twitter and Facebook for posts that inspire thinking and curiosity. Because I only use Twitter professionally-it is a treasure trove of ideas within a supportive community. With more “free time” I feel no guilt about random browsing. Randomness offers opportunity for serendipitous ideas-these can often be the most mind-expanding!

I write! My blog is one way I write to learn. This final post actually looks nothing like the original. It could have gone dozens of different directions, and morphed several different times as I revised and refined my thoughts. I keep a journal of my personal life and thinking that provides tangible evidence of my existence. I will join Teachers Write again this summer and look forward to an incredibly supportive community of writers as I play with my own creative writing. (Click on the image for more information). Several teachers in my district also plan to get together and continue our own Teachers Write group that we started during the school year.

It’s a simple idea, with incredible potential. Do what you love and you will love what you do. Think of your summers as your Genius Hours. What interests will you pursue? What questions will you answer? What ideas will you explore?

Here’s to many hours of living, loving, and learning! Summer Genius Hours!

What’s on My Book Radar?

Perfect for any Genius Hour! This book by Kate Messner is an amazing resource that I find myself revisiting again and again. This book grew out of Messner’s online summer writing camp, Teachers Write (see link above). If you are looking to develop a writing habit, I can guarantee you will find even more than 59 Reasons to Write with this book! I think every teacher of writing will find this book to be one of the most helpful books in their professional library!

Page-A-Day

June 23, 2015UncategorizedBook-a-Day, Fresh Air, Jacqueline Woodson, Page-a-Day, Read like a writer, Terry Grosspaulabourque

Once again this summer I am taking on the “Book-a-day” Challenge. I am so excited to have time to read that I sometimes devour a book in one sitting. There are so many books and so many authors that I want to explore, the book-a-day challenge helps me to do that.

However, on my run this morning I was listening to a Fresh Air podcast. Terry Gross was interviewing Jacqueline Woodson. They were discussing Jackie’s difficulty with reading as a child. Terry asked, “So how did you fall in love with reading and writing if it was such an effort?”

I love Jackie’s response: “You know, I read stuff over and over, and it made deep sense. It – I think what happened was the language settled in me much deeper than it settled into people who just can read something once and absorb what they absorb of it. I feel like what I was absorbing was not by any means superficial, and I think I was – from a really young age, I was reading like a writer. I was reading for this deep understanding of the literature; not simply to hear the story but to understand how the author got the story on the page. And I didn’t know any of that. And my sister, you know, just kind of sailed through reading and read – consumed book after book after book. And here I was reading the same book very slowly, slowly coming to understand it. And looking back on it, I think it was part of what brought me here.”

I thought of myself as Jackie’s sister, sailing through book after book. It was like an epiphany, I want to take some time to read like a writer and understand how the author got the story on the page. I want to read like Jackie! Then I thought, Hey, I can do BOTH!

So now this summer I will continue my Book-a-Day challenge, but I am going to also going to treat myself to a “Page-a-Day” challenge. It might be a page from a book I am reading, a page from the newspaper, a page of poetry, a page from a book I know I “should” read but never will. I will closely read this page the way Jackie did..very slowly, slowly coming to understand it. I will try to understand how the author got the story on the page. I will read like a writer.

So I will take some time to savor those words that some author labored over. An author who played with ideas, revised for clarity, worked hard to make it “just right”. I want to take some time to notice, to appreciate, to enjoy. I encourage (challenge) you to do the same.

If you are up for the challenge, tweet out your page at #pageaday!

What’s On My Book Radar?

Jo Knowles introduces us to several characters whose lives revolve around a local high school. The story takes place in a single day, but the complex interactions and intersections of their lives make you feel as though you’ve known them all for a very long time. People are not always what we perceive them to be, we can find out more if we take time to read between the lines, I’m glad I did. This book also fits my theme this week of taking the time to slow down and notice. This YA novel was a quick read, but the characters are still lingering in my mind.

HAPPY READING!

Don’t “Should” All Over Yourself

June 14, 2015UncategorizedHow to Read a Story, Kate Messner, Summer Vacation, Teachers, Teachers Writepaulabourque

As we wind up another school year we often think back on the year that was, and dive into the summer that is. These transitions are are an opportune time for reflection and planning. But too often I hear teachers focusing so much thought and energy on what they should have done, (I should have done more with fractions, I should have had the kids write letters to next years class, I should have….)and what they should do this summer, (I should take that class, I should read more professional books, I should…) These are all great ideas to be sure, but when approached with a should mindset, they seem more like a duty than a choice.

When we find ourselves using this verb we need to give it some thought. Some of the synonyms for should include: be one’s duty, be compelled to, be forced to, must, and even suffer! Should often implies you’d rather be doing something else! Sometimes should is appropriate, but if we spend so much energy “shoulding on ourselves” we might be missing out on opportunities that truly feed us in more positive ways.

When we hear ourselves saying, “I really should…”, let’s ask ourselves:

Why?
Who is this really for?
How will this really make my life or my teaching better?
Are there other options?
What would happen if I didn’t?

That might lead to other questions to help us reflect and plan ahead:

What worked well this year that I’d like to continue?
What could I try next year that would make teaching and learning more rewarding or effective?
What would make my summer better for me, for my family, for my community?
What would I enjoy doing this summer that would benefit my students?
What would feed my personal or professional growth?

We can’t do it all. We are often very unforgiving of ourselves when we feel we need to do more. We spend far too little time appreciating what do well. This leads to a shouldy attitude! The best gift we can give our students is a teacher who embraces life as well as learning. A happy, healthy teacher can offer so much more than a tired, shouldy teacher.

So take time this summer to LIVE! Listen to the birds in the morning, watch your kids splash in the cool water, get lost in a book, stay up too late at a drive-in, roast marshmallows, drive to someplace you’ve never been, write a story, look for sea glass, watch for shooting stars, pick up a frog, join in a twitter chat, go for walks with your loved one, buy some lemonade at a stand, unplug for awhile, close your eyes and see what you notice, try something you’ve never done before…

Not because you should, just because you can. Life is full of choices, choose wisely.

What’s on My Book Radar?

Every once in awhile a book comes out and you think, “What a great idea!” This definitely falls into that category! Kids will LOVE following these steps for how to read stories, and I can just see the wheels spinning in their heads for creating their own steps! Kate Messner has such a great range in her writing: professional books for teachers, chapter books for older readers, and picture books for younger readers. If you aren’t a fan of hers yet, you should be. (Haaa, just kidding…you’ll want to be!!)

Join Kate and some amazing authors this summer for the 4th annual TEACHERS WRITE. As Kate’s site says, “Teachers Write is a free online summer writing camp, especially for teachers and librarians. It’s a chance to practice your own writing in a warm, supportive environment so that you can go back to your students with new ideas and (in many cases) a new sense of empathy for the courage involved in writing and sharing one’s work. We offer daily inspiration and assignments, including mini-lessons, writing prompts, and Q and A sessions with authors whose books you and your students love.”

Teachers don’t join this group because they should-they join because they want to connect with some amazing authors and walk the talk!

Happy Reading (and writing)!

10 Questions We Should Ask Ourselves About Homework

June 7, 2015Uncategorizedpaulabourque

Earlier this week a good friend was messaging me on Facebook for help as her son struggled with his homework. It was nearing 10:00 at night and he was melting down. I could totally relate to her, it was exactly one year to the day that I posted in my blog about a similar experience with end of year overload and homework. I see this being repeated in homes everywhere and it makes me sad. In our sincere effort to help our students with extra practice we are turning them off to learning and often poisoning their homelives.

As we wind up a school year, I think it is important to reflect on practice and see what works well, and what we may want to revise for the next year. I’d like to offer some questions about homework to help teachers make some thoughtful decisions about why they should or shouldn’t be sending work home with students.

1. What is the learning target for this work? This differs from the activity the student is doing (ex. read pages 55-67 and answer the questions) What are the specific strategies, skills, or knowledge the students will acquire as a result of doing this activity? Do students know the learning target or are they just trying to complete a task? Their approach to homework will be contingent upon this question.

2. What is your success criteria for this work? In other words, how will you know they have acquired the skill or knowledge? A completed paper is not reliable evidence since you do not know who did the work or how it was done. Will there be an opportunity in class to demonstrate their understanding? How do we truly measure success. Is it engagement and learning or merely compliance?

3. How can you know who did the work? This relates to the previous question. There will be a range of students who have no help or well-intentioned “bad help”, while some have parents, friends, or siblings doing the work, (and a wide-range in between). How reliable is the information you get from this work? How much weight are we giving assignments that students may or may not be doing themselves?

4. How long will this homework take? Many of us have no idea, but we should. Some students can knock off assignments on the bus ride home, while others labor for hours. Students have been in school for six or more hours. Many are often ‘fried’ by the time they leave school. Some have jobs, or sports, or family commitments that make it extremely difficult to fit it all in. We should know how long students work on assignments outside of their school day. We are aware of how much work WE do outside of the school day!

5. How does this homework impact the lives of my students? Homework sets up a dynamic in families that is rarely positive. Parents and children are often at odds about how to do the work, and are frustrated with each other quite easily. Parents may want to help, but do not understand the approach or concepts. Children often don’t want their parents to be surrogate teachers-they just want them to be mom or dad. Family lives are impacted by the amount of time taken away from them with homework. Quality time together is frequently compromised because students have work that must be completed. Students are often caught in the middle when the family has plans other than working on school assignments and they stress about pleasing their teacher and their parents. When we (educators) think homework should come first we are basically telling parents how to run their lives and manage their time. We don’t want someone to tell us how to manage the time in our classrooms, we should be extending the same courtesy to parents with regards to their family time. Families have different priorities -including quality of life. We need to honor this and encourage a well-balanced life for our students. They are only kids for a short time!

6. Does homework really foster time management? I hear this argument for homework proposed frequently. “Students need to learn to manage their time and complete work.” This assumes the child controls time factors in their home-they usually don’t. If assignments take hours to complete they really don’t have any time to “manage” they only have time to work. If this was an occasional task that argument may have more teeth, but if every night the student is struggling to finish their extended day work, this isn’t about management. Parents are the time managers of home life. We can help students manage their time in school, but should not be setting these expectations for home.

7. How will I handle unfinished or incomplete homework? This is often a huge issue. The consequence is often a loss of recess. For some students this means they had no “free time” the previous night trying to finish work and they lose “free time” during their day. They have no break from the stress of school and begin resenting and resisting learning as a defense mechanism. Some students don’t care-they refuse to do homework and no amount of consequences will change that. This sets up a perpetual cycle of punishment that does not shape behavior. The teacher more likely feels the effect of the punishment in frustration and loss of time during the school day. Another consequence is often a ZERO for a grade. So the grade then becomes a reflection of compliance and not learning. Anytime we give homework, there will be students who do not or cannot complete it. We need to give some serious thought as to how to handle this in order to achieve our purpose, which leads me to…

8. What is the purpose of this homework? Why does every student need to do a given assignment (or assignments)? If they don’t know how to do something, why would sending it home be helpful? If they couldn’t “get it” in the most supportive environment possible, how will they “get it” in an environment of unpredictable variables and conditions? If they already know how to do it and can easily complete it, why did they need to spend time on it? I do not mean to be flip when I say, “Why do they have to do this?” This relates to questions 1 and 2 directly, but to all other questions as well? Is it worth the time it takes for me to copy it, assign it and grade it? Is it worth the students time to do something he/she can already do, or struggle with something they cannot do?

9. Will this homework increase student achievement? Homework has been around a very, very long time and yet there is no consistent evidence to support that it positively impacts student achievement. While some studies cite a moderate increase (one or two points) in standardized test scores for high school students (mostly in math or science) and no increase in elementary schools, does the one or two hours of work each night justify one or two points on a test? This does not mean that students will never benefit from extra target practice that is designed to meet their needs, but a blanket homework policy of one-size-fits-all is not a silver bullet for student achievement.

10 Are there more effective alternatives that can meet my purpose? Asking ourselves, “How can I best help my students meet the learning target?” Should be the first thing we do. What happens in our school day with us is often the most effective approach. The time we take in class to grade or go over homework might better be used for small-group instruction to reteach, reinforce, or practice with those students who need it. Teachers in upper grades are experimenting with a Flipped Classroom approach in which students watch lectures or read through materials and then do the “homework” in class with the teachers’ guidance. Can I narrow my focus or lessen the number of problems to meet my goals? Can students demonstrate understanding or mastery in a variety of ways other than homework assignments?

I know I will take some heat on this debate, but I don’t mind because my top priority is student learning. I want students to LOVE learning and make it a life-long habit. I have seen too many instances where homework does NOT achieve this. I do not see homework as an “All or Nothing” debate-we need to keep all tools available in our toolbox. I want us to use it judiciously, mindfully, and purposefully, but if we do not ask ourselves these questions and honestly answer them, I do not believe we are.

I welcome your thoughts, your questions. Here are some resources on the “Homework Debate”

Center for Public Education

Washington Post

Educational Research Newsletter and Webinar

What’s On My Book Radar?

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to read this incredible book! Kirby Larson is an amazing author, whose historical fiction is compelling and well-researched. Both of my choices of books this week opened my eyes to the history of our country-this focus on the life of a homesteader was riveting. I hadn’t considered homesteading during this time period (WWI) and loved how she wove the war, prejudice, technology, and human relationships into a beautiful story. I just got Hattie Ever After from my library to follow her journey!

I was stunned when I read this historical account of African American servicemen during WWII. I knew there must have been racism and segregation since this was long before the civil rights movement, but this story made it vividly clear. I was surprised I hadn’t heard of this episode of history before, but I think this is a “must read” for middle and high school students. The irony of serving a country that does not respect you must have been agonizing for these men. It’s a part of history that we must acknowledge and honor.