Assessments and Reflections

After taking our verb test last week, the boys completed a reflection exercise to assess their understanding of the concepts covered on the test. In the past, I have had the boys reflect in their journals after a test and written questions on the board to guide them in their reflection. I decided to give them more guidance as this process is still very new to them. Afterward, I asked them how this process helped them (videos are below). We also broke into groups according to areas of most difficulty (the boys decided which concepts they were still confused about), and students led one of the groups as I led the other. I am realizing how crucial it is to not let the test be the final picture of my students' understanding, and I now grasp how to make a test an opportunity for more learning.

Verb Test Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Test Reflection 2 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe 12/2/09

We have completed our unit on verbs, and we have exposed the boys to some very difficult concepts like predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. It has been challenging material for them, but it's incredible to see the progress they have made. Today we did a verb cafe to review the concepts we have covered, and a number of boys said they understood complements much better after the cafe. Again, I have seen the incredible advantage of letting the boys take ownership of their learning and giving them agency. Simply put, they learn and understand much more when they are in charge.

Verb Cafe Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe Reflection 2 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Verb Cafe Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

CSI & Tug of War

We used the thinking routines CSI and Tug of War to discuss the short story "Fresh" lat week. The boys have gotten used to the CSI routine, and it's incredible to see the complexity of their ideas. We looked at the connections between the characters, and it led to a fascinating discussion about the story. The visual of the tug of war rope really helped the boys to see the dilemma that the main character faced, and then they were able to generate "tugs" for each side of the rope. I am realizing every day how much more my students are capable of than I ever imagined, and I'm just trying to tap into that daily.

Ladder of Feedback

Untitled from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

LWW Project Presentation (4D) from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Yesterday we used the Ladder of Feedback routine to critique each other's final projects for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The boys did an excellent job presenting their projects, and instead of rushing through that part (even though it did take the whole class period-- so it was hard for me to slow down), I thought it would be more beneficial for the boys to give feedback to each other. They are beginning to see the difference between clarifying questions and concerns, and they were able to give valuable feedback about the depth of the work, the quality of the presentation, and how well the team worked together. I said very little the entire time because I realized the boys were saying all the things I would have said! It was pretty incredible to watch. We will continue to use this routine throughout the year to give feedback on projects and writing assignments.

Reflection Journals

I heard a lot of talk about reflection journals at Harvard, and Ron Ritchhart refers to them often in Intellectual Character. I talked to some coworkers about ways they use journals, but I quickly realized I was going to have to figure out on my own what worked best for my classroom. We have had the journals since the beginning of the year and have been using them sporadically at best. We have been using them more frequently lately, though, and I can se that the boys are becoming more and more comfortable with the act of reflecting. The first or second day of school I had them choose a throughline to reflect on, and I remember looks of complete confusion. They had no idea what to do. With time, they have become less worried about what they are "supposed" to write and are able to really sit down and put their thoughts on paper. This week they reflected on their understanding of pronouns after a pronoun test and on their strengths and weaknesses as writers after getting back their LWW contrast paragraph. Now my entire attitude toward tests has changed- even though they are summative assessments, I still want there to be formative aspects to them. Last year, I just sent tests home after they were graded and never looked at them again. This year, they are keeping their tests (after they've been sent home for parents to see), and I want them to refer back to this portfolio throughout the year so they can see their progress. I am amazed at how this simple practice of reflecting on their understanding after a test enables me (and them) to have a better gauge of where they are...it's now hard for me to imagine not taking the time for this!

VA Games

I've found that the boys develop a much better understanding of our VA words if I make sure to weave the words into everything we do during that week. I've also gotten some great ideas from other teachers who teach VA. Liz Parks shared a game called "If _____ is the answer, what is the question?" from Harvard. We used this in class the other day-- I had the boys work in groups, and they generated questions for several VA words and wrote them on index cards. We placed the cards around the room, and everyone tried to match up the words with their corresponding questions. They realized that the best questions used specific examples, and I will definitely use this routine again. I have attached several boys' reflections on this routine.

Untitled from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Pronoun Cafe

We did a cafe yesterday to review before our test on pronouns, and it was maybe the best experience I've had yet with a cafe. The four stations were as follows: 1) Write two sentences with your group- using 1 subject pronoun and 1 object pronoun in each sentence. Label the pronoun with subject/object, singular/plural, and 1st/2nd/3rd person ; 2) Use possessive pronouns to list items you might find in a gym; 3) Use reflexive pronouns to write sentences related to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; 4) Write a sentence using "its" and "it's" correctly and another sentence with "their" and "they're". As I watched the boys, I realized how much joy I get from watching their excitement. They have grasped some really difficult concepts, and I am much more proactive about talking about their understanding of concepts instead of rushing to the next thing. The stoplight cards have been really helpful with this as well as our conversations after a thinking routine or other experience. I have attached video of the cafe itself and of several boys' reflections after-- I asked them to reflect on how their understanding of pronouns has changed.

Pronoun Cafe from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Untitled from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

LWW Color Symbol Image

CSI Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Ever since I learned about the thinking routine "Color Symbol Image" at Harvard this summer, I have been excited to try it in the classroom. I wasn't sure how the boys would respond to this routine because it seemed like it might be too complex, but yet again, I was wrong. The routine involves choosing a color, a symbol (a very simple icon), and an image to represent a concept. The only way I have used it so far is to have the boys choose a character from the novel we are reading. We started with a character from Frindle (they chose either Mrs. Granger or Nick Allen), and today they chose either Aslan or the White Witch. The boys wrote their colors, symbols, and images on Post-its, and we arranged them on butcher paper. We talked through the responses and found connections among them. I was impressed with the complexity of the students' responses-- after doing the routine just once, they demonstrated a deeper understanding of character traits. I've encouraged them to go "beneath the surface", and I definitely saw that today. The video above is one student's reflection on the routine and how it enhanced his understanding of the characters.

Highlight of My Week

Yesterday we were discussing chapter 11 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in class. I've been trying to change the way I approach our novel discussions. Instead of me "filling" my students with the information I think they need to know, I want them to form their own understanding and create their own meaning. I am often reminded of that, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." --William Butler Yeats. I watched this happen yesterday, and it was truly incredible.

The boys are marking their books independently in an effort to become "active readers." This is new for all of them since they have completed novel packets in the past, and I knew it would take time for them to see the merit in reading actively. They mark things such as figurative language, character traits, and new vocabulary words.

The boys were very engaged in our discussion (I saw "shining eyes!"), and I had to stop myself from pushing forward to "get everything in" and move on to the next thing. (This is the inclination I have to fight the most as I attempt to develop a culture of thinking in my classroom.) One student noticed that Edmund's heart was changing (for the first time, he feels sorry for someone besides himself.) They were all excited to realize they had all put "stick people" (our symbol for character) next to that part in the book. I realized they are beginning to understand the element of character in a new way, and they are now actively looking for ways that characters in the novel evolve and develop. One student pointed out during our discussion that he really likes marking his book because he reads in a different way now and understands the book better. He said he sees things differently now. (How I wish I had my Flip camera ready for that comment!) I don't think there is anything more satisfying than witnessing my students' excitement and ownership of what we are doing in the classroom. I didn't get to everything I had planned for the day, but I am realizing how little that matters-- because it takes time, more than anything else, to develop a culture of thinking in the classroom. It's not going to happen if I plow through as much material as I can.

Sort It Out

Today in class I tried a game with my boys called Sort It Out, which I learned about from a colleague who went to Project Zero this summer. I didn't get to experience the excellent mini-session where she learned about this and several other routines, but I observed her sixth grade class using it a couple weeks ago. I gave each group of boys the same set of VA and spelling words (about 30 words total), and they were to sort the words into categories. I didn't give them much guidance beyond this, and it actually was more successful than I imagined. Even I would have had a hard time finding categories to fit all these words, so I was impressed with their ideas. One group sorted by parts of speech, one by where the words came from (spelling or VA), and the two other groups sorted the words by meaning. (example: one group put reproach, accuse, and presume together and provided an excellent explanation for the reason behind it). Obviously the groups that sorted by meaning were satisfying the goal of the game more than the others, but this was a good start to use this in the future. I had a spokesperson for each group explain how they sorted their words and gave time for others to ask questions. I plan to use this in the future for VA words especially because it gives the boys an opportunity to learn from each other and to develop a better understanding of these higher-level vocabulary words. I am curious to ask my colleague about other ways this game can be used. I might try sorting characters from novels they have read because hopefully this would be a great way to draw connections from text to text.

Sort it Out 4C from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Sort it Out Reflection from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

My Goals

This year I will be blogging about my professional development goal to develop a culture of thinking in my classroom. After attending Harvard's summer program, Project Zero, I want to integrate what I have learned into my classroom. This is much easier said than done, I realize, and there are far more things I want to do than I am able to do. I hope to narrow my focus and make some very tangible changes to the way I understand teaching. I hope that at the end of the year, I will be able to look back and say that my true focus was my students' understanding, not what technology we used or what projects we did. I hope that I will be able to say that my language with my students evolved into a conditional and communal language of thinking. I hope that I will look back and see that I incorporated thinking routines, gave my students a sense of agency in the classroom, and made it less about the answers than the questions. This feels like a lot, but I plan to take it a step at a time. I will post reflections (mine and my students') that will hopefully reflect the way the culture of our classroom changes throughout the year.