Why Do You Ask?

No Blogging, Candy, and Ghandi

2008-12-22T15:37:00.003-05:00

My last blog post was October 19. There is a reason I did not post...and it really was difficult for me to resist.

Here's the story.

My 7th grade class studies India as part of our curriculum. Ghandi is one of the historical figures we discuss. I sometimes use quotes as a starter, and as Halloween approached I used the story of a mother who wanted her son to stop eating sugar.

She took her son to his "idol," Ghandi, and asked Ghandi to tell her son to stop eating sugar; knowing that if it came from him, her son would surely quit. Ghandi said, "Bring the child back in 2 weeks." The mother was confused, but did as she was instructed.

Two weeks later the mother returned with her son, and Ghandi said to the boy, "Son, sugar is not good for you. You should stop eating it." The mother asked why Ghandi did not give this advice two weeks earlier. Ghandi's response, "Two weeks ago, I still ate sugar."

Well, this story struck a chord with one of my classes. I challenged them to try and give up something they liked for two weeks. They challenged me in return. They said, we'll not eat candy for two weeks (until Halloween) if you can give up something for two months. I asked what I would have to give up; and the class voted on blogging at Professor Marvel.

We all did it. [I trust each student gave up candy until Halloween, though I might be naive, huh.]

Well, I'm back. So, did anything big happen in since October 19 that's worth talking about?

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Why All The "Conferences?"

2008-10-19T16:03:00.001-05:00

Dan has an interesting conversation going about the terrifically poor seminars teachers must endure these days.

I feel his pain, and have for years.

First, let me give you my greatest peeve. I have not been given the opportunity to CHOOSE what I need to become a better instructor for over ten years now. I am told what I need by people who have left the classroom and the local school.

So here's my experience in the first 50 days of school.

September - I had to attend a one-day seminar to learn our new standards. I missed class to do it. In that meeting, I learned that it really is the teachers' fault that our kids screwed up on the CRCT test last Spring. Even though the test questions did not match the previous standards teacher were mandated to teach. BTW: Thanks for beginning the day that way, I'm sure I'll listen to you for the next 7 hours. You've gained my trust and respect.

October - We had a staff development day. All day was spent in the cafeteria listening to someone give us the why and how of differentiated instruction. Let me tell you a few more things I am tired of in seminars (in no particular order)...

"You are already using many of the strategies I will talk about today. I just hope to help you better organize your thinking..."

If I'm already doing this without being given the instruction, then use a pre-test you tell us we should use, and let me exempt the seat-time: a basic premise of differentiating instruction.

"Amongst yourselves, discuss why you think [differentiation, technology, web 2.0, etc.] is becoming so popular." Time passes - Final Answer - No Child Left Behind has made it so we have to reach every child (if there are at least 40 kids who are in a pre-selected minority group).

Really? Or is it that many speakers have long-since tired of teaching, and created their own market to sell their wares to unsuspecting, well-funded (even in economic down turns) school systems?
Or is it that we are NOT doing it and no one has the guts to tell the truth?
Or is it that we are NOT doing it because we have attempted these strategies, but the payoff is not big enough to warrant the time it takes to implement?

Do test scores really increase because I allow a student to dance around the room while they complete their math problems?
Does the student really learn because I let them use Google Maps instead of an atlas.
Does the student really learn (and retain) just because the teacher knows the student is a spatial learner, and therefore the student has more options to visualize why some societies choose not to educate the females in the village?

Then the PowerPointlessness of standing in front of a entire staff and lecturing for over 6 of the 7 hours.

This was in both seminars so far this year.

People who rename (or repackage) seminars, and call them workshops; even when there is no work done by the attenders other than to sit and listen.

This past week I was notified that I would be missing 3 days in a row in November to learn how to teach ELL students. Wait just a minute. I was the first non-ESOL teacher to teach these students 13 years ago...by choice! Now I have to spend three days away from my students to learn what I helped pioneer in our system? Do you know how much learning-time is lost in three days of teacher absence? My formula is multiply it by two, and hope it's accurate.

I think I have a new, cutting edge, amazing program; which research has proven numerous times increases test scores, reduces behavioral problems, and is the most cost-effective approach to raising student performance. WHAT IS IT? Keep the teacher in the classroom! The number one difference in the success of a student is the teacher...right? If the teacher is made to miss their class 9 days a year, that's a 5% decrease in learning time.

Let's just cut through it...Tell the truth...either teachers are not trusted to do their job, so administrators, boards, or someone on a higher pay-grade has some kind of "safe harbor" or loophole in NCLB that says, "If you show that you are providing training to your staff and the students fail the standardized test, then we'll cut you a break in the AYP report. Which makes me wonder if the consultants are in cahoots with the test-makers, test-graders, and politicians to ensure an audience of teachers and school systems who otherwise would not be able to stay in the field of education.

Guess what training I want and need - and would pay for? In my school of 1500 students, where 65% (or more) are Hispanic, I would like intensive language learning of Spanish so I can make a phone call home, stop by houses, and communicate with their parents, grandparents, and siblings. Any guesses as to how many language acquisition professional developments I've been able to attend?

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The content of Room 755 is the interpretation of the Georgia State Standards for 7th grade Social Studies, and how we seek to address these standards in one classroom, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the school system in which I work. This work (unless expressly stated) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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What's Really Important? No...Really

2008-09-28T18:13:00.002-05:00

Educators have a way of making everything seem important. I still enjoy the challenge from students and colleagues, when I say, "Everything is Social Studies." The only reason to truly know math is to take care of your finances, or build things that will make someone money, which is about economy, which is about standard of living, which is a social studies issue. The only reason to know Language Arts is to become literate enough to know the best way to make money in the area in which you live (in good times, and bad) which is an issue of economics, which is about standard of living, which is a social studies issue. The only reason to know science...yada, yada, yada...which is a social studies issue.

But really. What is truly important in life? Why do we (humans) try to make the easy things difficult? Could it be as simple as "Nature Boy" sung by Nat King Cole:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"the greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

My mom passed away last Sunday. I left my classroom Friday at noon, to drive 6 hours to be with her, as were my siblings. By the time I arrived she was unable to talk, but could hear, and respond with smiles and eyebrows. She had her eyes open for about 3 hours after I arrived. She attempted to talk to me, but no longer possessed the strength to do so.

She knew her four children were with her. She slept from 11:00 Friday night until 6:32 Sunday morning. She took her final breath Sunday morning, and it was quiet, peaceful, and in a strange, surreal way -- beautiful.

Mom deserved a peaceful passing. She was a loving wife (for 57 years - Dad passed away in 2004) and mother. She once said to me that we'd have more if your father wouldn't try to help everyone who needed help. Yet it was Mom who tried to help every kid in the neighborhood. We had that kind of a house where my sibling's friends would come to eat. My friends called my mom, "Mom." I actually took extra milk money to school for several years because Mom thought one of my friends might need it.

She was a special lady, and apparently not just to me. After the funeral, I went into a local store to buy a pair of shorts, because I was going back to the house to do some cleaning and other things for which wearing a suit was not conducive. I was the only customer in the store, when I heard the doors open. Two ladies, probably in their late 50s or early 60s came in. I heard one of them say, "Janet Murry was buried this morning."

They didn't know I was there, and they wouldn't know me if they saw me. I just thought to myself, "Please don't say anything else. I just don't want to hear it right now." I guess I was feeling the possibility that someone would say the things we don't want to hear about the ones we love, yet we know they think.

The 2nd lady commented that someone else had passed away yesterday (although I did not catch the name). Then it happened...they kept talking...and all I could do was hope to get out of the store before they said something that would make me a) angry, b) cry, or c) fight back.

"We lost two of kindest ladies in town. What will all the shut-ins do without them?"

"Yep, we sure will miss them. You know they say the good ones go in threes. I'd sure hate to lose another one like them. It will really hurt [our little town]."

As I stopped by the check out counter, I saw the ladies nearby. I said, "Thanks for saying nice things about my mom."

"Who is your mother?"

"Janet," I replied.

"She sure was a wonderful woman. She was a saint. You were blessed to have her."

Yes I was. I'm just not sure I always knew that.

So what's really important...in the long run.

Not that we can do calculus. Not that we can understand Shakespeare. Not that we can prove Einstein's theory of relativity. Not that we can associate everything in life with Social Studies.

Perhaps it's about the idea of service to our fellow man. To love them...and be loved in return.

Until our curriculum has a bit more of that concept in it, I don't expect school will get much more interesting to students.

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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We Don't Vote For Presidents Anymore...

2008-09-17T18:16:00.006-05:00

we vote for who we think will win.

I have tried to put this into words for the past several years, and I am getting closer to what I mean inside my brain, but words are difficult to use to describe the subtlety of my argument. But here goes...

Since Watergate, the media has come to believe they are in the business of making the news rather than reporting it. They did not reveal JFKs indiscretions, but began to wonder about LBJ during the Civil Rights Movement, then with Nixon, they cut loose.

This is not an argument of should the media do this or not. It is a simple statement of my take on a transition of the perceived purpose of the media.

Here is the crux of my argument: We do not vote for who we think will best serve the country as President -- we vote for who we think will win the presidency.

Let me try to explain. In my voting lifetime, beginning in 1980, I have witnessed a subtle shift in the thinking process of American citizens.

We are a nation that seeks to win.

The Olympics is representative of this fascination we have with winning. Which country won the Olympics? It depends on whose paper you read. Do you just count Gold Medals? Total Medals? Place a point value on the medals (3 for gold, 2 for silver, 1 for bronze) and add up the points?

Further, Americans who don't win personally, are quick to associate themselves with winners, as if this vicarious association will reflect the winning nature of the non-entrant. That is why we frequently see "fans" become numerous at the end of the season of winning teams, when there were open seats at the start. The "fair-weather fan" seeks to associate with those who are winning.

Now for the transfer to presidential elections. I am not convinced people vote for the person they believe has the best qualifications for the needs of the nation at a given time. [I not really convinced people know what the nation needs at most times - cynical, I know.] I believe, through the media, polls, and appearance (again Nixon vs. Kennedy - TV debate) people who do vote, frequently vote for the one they believe will be the winner, just to associate themselves with the one who won.

I seldom speak to people who know what the issues are, forget what the candidates believe about the issues. And this counts educators too. Education is not the only issue. NCLB, regardless of where one stands, is a relatively small issue in the context of the world today. And believe it or not, education is not always the answer to problems. I've met too many educated idiots, and you have too.

So when a student asks me, "Who are you going to vote for?" I tell them the truth. I haven't made up my mind yet. I don't know enough about where they stand on the issues, nor have I really prioritized the issues I think are important yet. That will come over the next 2 weeks. Is education part of the list? Yes, but not in the top 5 at this point. I'm more concerned about the banking situation, oil & alternative fuel, taxes, international affairs and economics, and our commitment to curtailing terrorism and protecting our country than I am about education right now.

And now for something that hit me today...Constitution Day

My classes watched a 20 minute, overview about the U.S. Constitution. In the video, a comment was made that led me to say to my classes, something like...

What make the United States great is the fact that we are not a country governed by people. We are governed by law. We are supposed to be equal under the law, and not have to worry about the whims or biases of a monarch, dictator, or royal family.

The president, by the Constitution, has very limited power. Yet, every four years, we look for which "rock star" we want to represent us. It has become a popularity contest. Perhaps we should remember the wise comments of Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci) in the movie With Honors: The Constitution limits the president to being nothing more than a servant of the people. He is, in essence, a bum and the only bliss he should be seeking is freedom and justice.

Direct Link
[If you have not seen this movie, why not?!]

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Classroom Videos With YouTube

2008-09-15T20:42:00.003-05:00

Why YouTube? Because that's where my kids are anyway.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have started a classroom blog (Room 755). It is a daily post of our activities in class, with a little commentary at times. Hey, I'm the writer, publisher, and editor - I can do what I want, right?

Well, today in class, my students began putting pencils to poster board (computers will come later Web 2.0 folks). I interviewed each group about where they were in the process. I asked several questions before my Flip Camera began recording, so the students knew what I was looking for when I came to their table.

I took my Flip to my MacBook, converted the .AVI files to .MP4 files using iSquint, then uploaded the videos to YouTube. Most videos were between 15-25 seconds. It took about a total of 90 minutes to do all this and post the links to my Room 755 blog.

Yes, that is time intensive. But my students were excited to know that they had the opportunity to be "seen" online. No faces are shown...just voices and poster board.

If you would like to take a look, you can go to my YouTube channel or Room 755.

P.S. - My kids think it is pretty cool that Miguel and Steven have commented. Thanks guys. Any others who want to drop by?

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel

2008-09-14T17:17:00.003-05:00

For three straight hours this morning, Samantha Brown helped me travel to China. We went to Xian, Sichuan, and Beijing. My wife came trotting down the hallway because she heard Samantha promo the Terracotta soldiers, said to be the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century. So I set the Tivo to record.

Why was this important to me? First, I begin teaching China in a few weeks (days actually). Second, the 7th grade Social Studies department (there are 4 of us) are trying to work out details to take our 500 7th graders to the High Museum in Atlanta to see the exhibit of the Terracotta soldiers.

In essence, the curator of the museum in China told Samantha (and me) that the clay soldiers were secretly buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect him in the afterlife, much like the Pharoahs did in Egypt.

Now for kudos to the Travel Channel. All three episodes are available through iTunes for $1.99 each or $4.99 for all three and any future episodes in the series. TV the way it should be.

A poorly done movie is available too: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (The Mummy 3). I really liked the first two, but I think it is because Rachel Weisz was in those, and absent from #3. Either she made a good choice to stay out of Mummy 3 or she is the one who really made Mummy 1 & 2 as good as they were.

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Adding More Cowbell

2008-09-13T17:42:00.001-05:00

I am the Man Behind Blue Eyes - but I always knew something was missing.

Thanks to Christopher Walken, I have figured it out...


	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

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Emotional Exhaustion

2008-09-11T19:06:00.003-05:00

Today I showed my classes the Discovery Channel's documentary, The Flight That Fought Back. I was hoping that my students would sit through a documentary, and they did.

We did not complete the entire 53 minutes but each class was near enough to the end that they understood the impact of 9/11/01. As I have mentioned, I work with a wonderful woman whose brother was on the 92nd floor of the North Tower that day. She brought a copy of the family flyer they posted around New York in the days after the attack.

As I tried to mention the flyer I had posted by the door, I couldn't get through it. I choked up. I admit it. It's been 7 years, and I still sympathize strongly with my colleagues personal loss of that day. My students choked up too; probably because of me and not the content of the video.

But that made me think of the power of our emotion as we teach. Do we empathize with the material we present? How about the students we teach? I know that is probably difficult in math -- my emotions over numbers are usually just anger that I can' figure out the problem. But how can a teacher do a good job of presenting the issues of poverty, genocide, persecution, or war without some kind of emotion and be effective?

Similarly, how can a teacher present patriotism, pride, success, or victory without some kind of emotional presentation?

I'm not saying that everything should be cheers or tears. I am saying that in order to reach people (our students) we must touch their heart as well as their mind.

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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A Day of Intention

2008-09-10T18:29:00.001-05:00

What is the true INTENT? What did we really MEAN when we wrote...?

That was the crux of today's meeting with a Georgia State DOE Program Specialist, Dr. William Cranshaw. We went through all the new Social Studies standards for the 7th grade (6th grade teachers were in a different room to learn their standards). The best part of the information was the "Teacher Notes" section.

The Teacher Notes have been provided to assist teacher in understanding, interpreting, and generally having a clue what some of the generally stated standards mean, and what the standard-writers were thinking when they wrote them. Further (and even more important) what the new test-writers will be using to construct our state's CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Test) high-stakes test -- which saw 70%-80% of our state's students fail last year.

The meeting was tedious, just as Dr. Cranshaw prepared us for. But it was necessary. I believe he said his staff would be delivering around 22 of these one-day sessions around the state. Wow. I guess I can't complain that they don't care about Social Studies and the results of the tests.

This year the test is actually a field-test of the questions to determine validity and reliability. We'll see how that goes. I still am very opposed to this kind of testing as a measure of student understanding, and therefore value in a educational setting. But, I can wish all I want, this lazy, inaccurate, expensive system of assessment is a part of the game we play when we sign on to teach in the advanced age of the 21st century. [Excuse me while I pick up the dripping sarcasm].

Still, the day was productive and beneficial. It was worth my time. I just hope my classroom's not a total mess when I get there tomorrow morning.

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Announcing My Classroom Blog

2008-09-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

Room 755 is my blog for my classroom. It is not necessarily meant to be a though-provoking blog, but rather a recording of daily events in my classroom. Each day will be posted at 5:30 A.M. (I love this feature in Blogger).

My students, parents, administrators, and possibly other teachers (especially 7th grade Social Studies teachers in Georgia) might be able to find material here, add to the material here (through comments), and critique the material here (again, through comments).

Our Standards are new - as I've mentioned before. As teachers, we are not very sure what is expected of us as we prepare our students for the CRCT in the Spring. Last year was such a fiasco, we know it can't get worse...can it? The state threw out the scores for 6th and 7th grade. The concern this year is (for me at least) will the test writers pay any attention to the INTENT of the Standards, or will they simply pick and choose random facts that might or might not be understood to be important by any given teacher...which appears to be part of the problem last year.

Room 755 is a record of my understanding of the meaning of the Standards. Currently, we have spent time learning the Concepts [pdf file] and as part of the Concepts - the 5 themes of geography (since Human/Environment Interaction, Location, and Movement are 3 of the 5 and expected to be covered in the first Unit [pdf file].

Anyway, if you have an interest in following my class on our journey through Africa, the Middle East, and Asia stop by. Leave a note to my students. Many of them do not believe I know anyone through my network. A comment might convince them.

You can also check my personal portal at Professor-Marvel.com

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20 Days - Already!?

2008-09-04T17:57:00.002-05:00

That's right. Twenty days of school have already past. One month down, eight to go.

So what have we accomplished?

Not much productivity, but much in the area of groundwork, foundation, and routine.

I must be easily amazed, but I cannot believe that I had to have another talk with my classes about how many gaps we have to fill. The importance of coming into my classroom ready to work is still something I have to "fight" every day.

The agenda is on the right side of the board.
Pick up your name slip.
Get your Notebook.
Begin the Starter.
Have the Starter completed within two minutes after the bell.

I know many edbloggers will cringe at the thought of routine and bells every period. Well, you'll have to get over it...it's my reality (and nearly everyone else's too).

Why an agenda?
To avoid the daily question, "What are we doing today?" They still ask, but I don't have to answer...I just point.

Why a Starter?
To get them to focus. To cover the basics of Social Studies and Geography. Remember, the gaps in my students go back to 2nd grade. Today's starter included naming the imaginary line from which we mark north and south latitude...the equator. I was happy that 114 out of my 132 students got that one correct. But Prime Meridian and International Date Line is something that will take a little more work.

Why name slips?
We have to submit attendance every period of the day through Infinite Campus (Impotent Campus as I call it). It's one of these "We can do this, so why not do it 8 times a day." So students pick up their name, and the slips that remain are absent. I can report that quickly (within 20 seconds). Then I collect the name slips and mix them up to call on students throughout class to answer questions, go to the board, and do other things. It's random that way. I also learned my students' names quicker this way.

Why the Notebook?
Most teachers have a notebook of some kind. In the case of the Social Studies teachers at my school it is very important. We have no current textbooks, and will not receive any in the near future. The Notebook is the student textbook. Since we studied the concept of economic systems, one of my students asked if we were a Traditional Economy in regards to our textbook philosophy. See, they can apply concepts to real life situations. :-)

We have our struggles. I teach on an ELL (English Language Learner) team. I requested this team, and was granted the opportunity (again). We still work hard to understand how to put together organizational tools. Today it was our second attempt to create a 4x4 table, and put the information in the correct square. We have tried to identify when to use Venn Diagrams and when a T-Chart might be better. But we are learning.

Behavior (or misbehavior) is a serious issue. This is why establishing routines is an important part of our first month. I spoke with the other teachers on my team to find out what minor routines they were trying to develop...things like Name, Class Period, Date in the upper right corner & a Title on each page. If we can all do the same thing, the students will adapt quicker. It seems so controlling and dictatorial, but in our climate of testing means everything, that's what we have to do in our situation to stay on the AYP list and off the #$%@ list.

I am a tech guy. I absolutely hate the thought that when we tried to use the computers in Stations the class could not function. They have been conditioned to a certain style of teaching...spoonfeeding. They do not know how to conduct a basic search, or read instructions. (Remember, teachers read the instructions to them during Testing Weeks).

Here's a flowchart I am working to see if we can get here by the year's end. I welcome ideas, criticisms, and thoughts.

By the way...My student is wrong. We are not a traditional economy in public schools. It's is most definitely a Command Economy. Which is probably why students and teachers don't much care for school. They know it could be better.

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Caught in a Whirlwind

2008-09-02T18:19:00.002-05:00

Already three weeks into school.

No standards with which to start.

New standards adopted by the state.

Four online classes to teach with University of Phoenix.

Mom diagnosed with cancerous tumor on her spine.

Trip to St. Louis to see Mom in the hospital over Labor Day Weekend.

Started our Running Club today with around 25 students.

I miss writing. It's not that I don't have anything to say (My wife says I never shut up). It's almost that I have too much from which to choose. I'm making myself sit down and write. I simply have to do this, or I feel my thoughts getting rambled, and my life disorganized. Writing is how I think and learn.

I received an email from Doug Johnson today. Doug and I have never met in person, but I enjoy his writing, and admire his integrity.

A few months ago, Doug posted a review of NECC 2008, and asked a question of what we might like to see in the future. I commented that I would like to see a TEDTalk format for the lesser known edtech people to have a chance to share their ideas...no more than 15 minutes...but going on all day.

Doug sent an email to me today. He had forwarded my idea (and others I'm sure) to Don Knezek and Leslie Conery of ISTE. He received a response, and sent me a follow-up. That's integrity.

Truth be told, I had forgotten about the comment I had made (which is why I wish there was a way to automatically post comments made on other blogs as a post to my own blog). I would have remembered it later, if some conference used the idea. It would have been another of those "I thought of that years ago" moments I have frequently enough...which is why I like to blog, because then I have a record of my ideas that I can refer to when things happen.

Anyway, Doug - thank you for possessing the integrity and honesty to keep me in the information loop of this idea. Second, I think I should get my 15 minutes of fame if NECC 2009 coordinators include this in their program. I think I'd call it - How To Develop Ideas On The Fly.

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Learning In Grayscale

2008-08-23T14:02:00.001-05:00

Some students want teacher-directed instruction. In fact, a whole grade level may crave it.

We just completed Day 11 of school yesterday. It's been a good start to school, but disappointing as well.

I took my usual 3-5 days to introduce myself, explain my grading, seek to plant seeds of expectation for the year. I shared how I wanted to use technology in our classroom through the use of video, cell phones, wikis, and a possibility of collaborating with a school in another country (one that is a part of our standard curriculum). And I answered the biggest questions from my students..."Why aren't you in the library this year? Did you get fired?"

The kids were excited. I was excited. We were ready.

I then started with a pre-teaching assessment of their map skills (compass rose, directions, scale, coordinates, latitude & longitude, etc.). I used the state's matrix of mastery. It lists grades by which students are to be Introduced, Develop, Master, and Apply the skills. The results of the assessment became my first source of disappointment. The skills simply aren't there at a Introductory level. So we have a lot of catching up to do.

I'll not blame the students, or their previous teachers, or the parents, or even the state (this time). It is what it is, and we have 169 days to do about 800 days of work...in theory. So we get busy.

Then I introduced the first Unit - Social Studies Concepts. Our standards, and teaching method, is concept-based. I like it. Our concepts in the 7th grade include the following eight items.

Conflict & Change
Culture
Economics (Production, Distribution, and Consumption)
Governance
Human / Environment Interaction
Location
Movement
Continuity, although over Time things Change

I enjoy Stations (although at the elementary level what I do would be considered Learning Centers). Each Station has different material...8 of which covered the Enduring Understandings and Motivating Questions (Essential Questions for your UbDers). Four other stations were map skill related. Students spend 1 day at a station then rotate to the next. At the end of the rotations through each station, we would debrief and summarize our findings, then complete a project that would demonstrate understanding. That was the plan.

BUT...

My students are not only lacking in map skills, but are also lacking in the ability to focus on their work without directed instruction from a teacher. I was saddened for us.

I went to talk with several 6th grade teachers who had this group last year. They conveyed that they could not get this group of students to ever get to the point where small group work could be done. I phoned three of my friends who teach in three different K-5 schools in our system, and they confirmed that this group just was not capable of working in Learning Centers. They were "too social" and did not work on the work.

So I have punted on 1st down. I went back to directed instruction. Tried to be as positive about our situation as possible, and on Thursday (day 9 of school) I put the tables back in three rows, and started over. Funny thing...the students liked it. They felt like they were learning.

In all our hopes of providing Personal Learning Networks, Web 2.0 interactions, and differentiation through small groups, this may not be something this community (grade level) of learners will be able to experience until they are older and separated. They simply are not mature enough to learn on their own.

On the positive side, for me, I have a new curriculum to learn (just approved by our State BOE after our 6th day of school). When the students require a teacher-directed atmosphere to learn, it really is easier for the instructor.

So we may not be ready for the brilliant techni-color of the tech world, but I'll put my kids up against anyone else's by the end of the year. Why, because I have already identified their group strength. They are debaters, discussers, and thinking-out-loud kinds of kids. That's like pitching to my wheel-house.

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Opening Ceremonies

2008-08-10T18:13:00.001-05:00

I always watch the Olympics. I think I learned more about the world watching the Olympics than I did in school.

Educational bloggers have been discussing the rise of China in the world since the Did You Know slide stating that China would have more English-speaking people than the United States in the near future.

If anyone was in doubt, it should have become obvious when at the end of the coverage, the little 9 (or 10) year-old boy, Lin Hao, with Yao Ming said in perfect English, with less of an accent than Yao, "Thank you, thank you very much" to the reporter who interviewed Yao about the meaning of the Olympics to him and China.

We use the word "ubiquitous" when we discuss technology in the classroom. But how about the ubiquity of the technology and engineering in the artistic beauty of the ceremonies.

Bob Costas said they could retire the trophy for Opening Ceremonies as it relates to beauty, spectacle, and awe. I find it hard to argue with that. It was the most impressive ceremony I've seen...well except for Izzy (the Olympic spermascot) in 1996. Geez, America...is that the best we can do in the fields of creativity and engineering.

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If Teaching Was Like Olympic Swimming

2008-08-10T16:50:00.001-05:00

Watching the Olympics - I'm a patriotic guy.

Enjoying the swimming competition, and was wondering if I could be as successful at teaching as our athletes are at swimming if I adopted their practice.

Get up a couple hours before school.
Shave my body.
Eat a high protein meal.
Go teach a class.
Do an interview about how my class went, and cliche my way through stupid questions.
Go back to my room and take a nap.
Get up and stretch.
Shave my body.
Go teach another class.
Do another interview explaining why I did not need to do my best in this class, because I would be back later when it

counted.

Go back to my room and take a nap.
Get up and stretch.
Shave my body.
Go teach a class.
Hope to get a good night's sleep, knowing that I'm really looking for the party in the village.
Get up in the morning and do it again.

What a great day that would be.

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Hopes, Lies, and Reality

2008-08-09T20:07:00.004-05:00

Students started back to school yesterday (Friday 08-08-08). Good day.

It was funny (to me) because so many school officials were saying that our numbers would be down...way down. We ended last year with around 1450 students in our middle school (grades 6-8).

So why were they expecting lower numbers?

We are the Carpet Capital of the World in Dalton. The economy is such that several thousand layoffs occurred earlier this year. School officials were predicting our Mexican-heritage families would be moving away - going back to Mexico. [It is a rerun of the 1950s-60s thing of Blacks back to Africa mentality.]

This exodus was a prediction made back in late February. I told our principals not all of the business community was not seeing things the same way. My wife, a nurse in an OB/GYN office said the local hospital was telling OB doctors to expect a larger number of births beginning in October of 2008...9 months after the layoffs began to take place and not ending until people went back to work, which could be a while. So imagine how many kids will show up at the middle school in August 2020!

The first day back to school for teachers was on Monday (08-04-08) and I heard three different people say they heard 10,000 people had moved from the area over the summer. I asked two of them if they meant 1000 people. "No," they assured me. It was 10,000 according to the carpet mill execs (whoever they are). C'mon, check your sources people.

During the week we had over 90 NEW students register. Yes, there were a few no-shows (about 80)- on the first day of school, which was a Friday, so I expect more to begin showing up on Monday.

I'm back in Social Studies this year, and I wish our community could apply higher-level taxonomy to the histories of immigrant/migrant populations. Our Latino families have been here for over a decade, nearly two decades now. They are not going anywhere. They are not just a part of the community, they are the majority population of the community now. When times get hard for families, they tend to move INTO the city, not out of the city. That way they can walk, bike, or more easily carpool to the jobs that are available.

I always envisioned myself doing mission work in Latin America, especially after a mission trip to Puerto Rico in 1983. But my wife and I never went. Well, the mission field has come to us. I'm not complaining...I love it. Within a few weeks, I predict our school will break the 1500-student mark. It's time for a 2nd middle school. We'd still have two of the larger middle schools in the area. But funding favors enormous, so I'll not hold my breath for a new school anytime soon. So for now, come on in kids, there's a place for you here.

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The Most Intelligent Statement Of The Year

2008-08-02T12:15:00.002-05:00

I'll make this simple. I read lots of blogs. Many of them are education-based.

I've read about NCLB from a variety of sources. I have formulated many opinions of my own, which I have written about here. I really do see both sides of the argument for and against NCLB as it is, and empathize with the struggles our country faces to do the best we can for our kids.

It's difficult to know what's best, IMO, because we cannot standardize people. I have always been against testing as a tool to determine if one is on par with students in their age group. Those who came up with this concept and practice were surely not very learned, but likely very successful the educational system in which we now struggle.

By far, the absolute best, most brilliant, insightful, comment I have ever read comes from Chris Lehman recent post, Why We Need A Vision. READ IT.

Here are the three sentences...

Most teachers went into the profession because they wanted to make a difference. But our [the United States] system is broken, and if you put good people in bad systems, the system will win more often than not. And as a result, we have lost the ability to negotiate the terms of our own profession. [Brackets mine for clarification]

I have enjoyed many of Chris's posts, and followed his NECC session, live, through Ustream. It was ~~good~~ great, but this moves well beyond anything anyone has said in the past 5 years in the context of public education in the United States under NCLB.

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The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Sacrilege To The Filter gods

2008-08-01T14:55:00.004-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I whine too much about how our (and too many other) Tech Departments block sites in schools. Simply because an outsource company (who seeks only to make money - not protect the chillldddreeennnn) tells Tech Directors that they must block things first, then open when there is a possible reason.

Well, it's time to see what has happened this week.

COPA has been found to be unconstitutional (again). Schools won't care about that though.
CIPA, DOPA, and any other restrictive measure will serve them in their fear of information access for all people.

Jim Gates is ticked off by the control-mongering techies who oppose learning for censorship and power. Welcome to the show Jim.
[NOTE: You probably won't see Jim's post if you're at school - he uses the demonic Blogger and Blogspot for his communication ;-) So do I.]

All this is well and good. I have vowed to get off my filtering is the new book burning, neo-nazi, anti-education rants. Now I really can.

Why?

Because, Apple is making everyone's life better. If you have been one of those "I'm not sure I should get an iPhone (original or 3G) and/or MacBook" (whatever kind), "Windows is far superior" (for what I don't know - other than accumulating viruses), then it is time for you to change your ways...for the American Way!

You can use your iPhone as a tethering devise to get internet access to your computers!

NetShare, by Nullriver, Inc., that allows your iPhone to serve as your computer's Internet connection. Guess what? I can work at my workplace again! It's been over 7 years since I had that ability.

C'mon educators. It's time to drink the Apple Kool-aid - again.

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The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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"Origami May Some Day Save A Life"

2008-07-31T19:27:00.004-05:00

Robert Lang conducts his TED Talk in February 2008.

Fascinating presentation on how origami, with the use of math can lead to "real-world applications." One use was for a heart stent. Another for space telescopes. Although Lang doesn't take time for this, I see a good argument for why the arts should remain in K-12 education.

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The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Don't Make it Difficult; Others Will Do That For You

2008-07-28T17:34:00.005-05:00

Okay, I borrowed this video from a very recent Library Garden post.

But this is how I feel when I hear people tell others how they should teach. "Experts" ask only question to which they already know the scripted answer in order to get the listener to agree with them. Then, when the audience asks a relevant question, the stock answer, "Well, you know, you're doing most of this already. This will just help you organize your work in such a way that it will become easier for you in the long run. This gives it a framework in which we can all work. It's great, and research shows...blah, blah, blah."

As my college professor used to remind us to ask, "Whose research was it? When was it conducted? What prompted the research in the first place."

Then we fix things that aren't broken, and break things that work.

Teaching: It's not rocket science; it's brain surgery.
[One of my all time favorite lines from The Simpsons]

If you are blocked at school...here's the website for later
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU9YeOQm3Y0

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The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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Sticklers - Plagiarism Or 21st Century?

2008-07-24T09:39:00.001-05:00

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Stickler - Why We're Not Taken Seriously?

2008-07-19T15:35:00.003-05:00

Words mean things. When words have no meaning, they are perceived to have little value.

Is this why we struggle to get "Web 2.0" (a term most educators think is weird too) accepted in schools?

Your thoughts...

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The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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People Can't Be Standardized

2008-07-18T11:29:00.003-05:00

"We want to cling to these incredibly outdated measures of ability." - Malcolm Gladwell

I just finished a very interesting video from The New Yorker (no not the Obama cover controversy). Malcolm Gladwell speaks on mismatches between hiring practices and job performance. He uses professional sports combines (NHL, NBA, and NFL quarterbacks), teaching (which I didn't know he would discuss until he got there), lawyers, airline pilots, and cops.

His premise - We are not using the right tools to determine the effectiveness of the people we hire to do these jobs.

His argument - We are trapped into thinking that there is an objective tool (or tools) that will grant us certainty that the people we hire will be successful in their jobs.

His conclusion - There are no right tools to determine the effectiveness of the people we hire to do these jobs. We have to evaluate them once they are on the job. There are no certainties.

My jump - Standardized tests for students are likewise no indicator of student abilities, promise, or value. In fact, these test may only serve as instruments to stifle children, impede their progress, and devalue them. I won't mention the affect on their self-esteem. Oops; I guess I just did.

Take a look at the video here.
Here's Gladwell's TEDTalk from 2006

IMAGE: http://flickr.com/photos/mrtea/2294114381/

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
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You Can't Make Me Happy

2008-07-15T13:32:00.001-05:00

I'm in my classroom today. This morning I spent about four hours creating my pre-teaching assessment for Map & Globe Skills. I've created a self-checking matrix for my students to use as we review the questions and answers together.

Everything was great. I went to lunch with my wife.

Then...

I decide to get down to my serious business -- finding what websites are blocked by our ~~censoring~~ filtering software. I've spent hours at home finding online resources that we can use in class, knowing that I will need to request that some sites will need to be unrestricted in the near future.

So What's The Problem?

The filter is turned off! @#$$#^ it all anyway! I can't find out what I need to know because while no one is using the computers except admins and techies they don't need the filter on! As if these folks aren't going to waste time visiting otherwise non-educational websites, yeah right.

So, I can't get me no satisfaction. Unless you count the fact that I was able to blog this.

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Making UbD a "Kid Thing"

2008-07-10T14:48:00.004-05:00

Can You Help Me? Sure You Can!

In four weeks, I begin teaching 7th Grade Social Studies in the state of Georgia. We are responsible for History, Geography, Civics, Government, and Economics in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The standards are undergoing more revision, so as the school year begins, teachers will not be assured of which standards from the draft will remain until several weeks in to the school year. The challenge is to get students to care about the content we must cover.

I've been rereading parts of Understanding by Design and Preparing Instructional Objectives over the past few weeks. Not really trying to "master" the content (since I've been using it for a few years), but to see if I can glean some insight on how to bring it to the students I'll have in class in a few weeks.

I've also been immersed in The Back Of The Napkin. I'm trying to learn how to make difficult things simple. Roam's insights are valuable once you realize what goes on before the stick figures get drawn. My nighttime reading is A Whole New Mind.

I share this so you can get a context of what's going on in my own learning.

Here's what I've come up with as a format for presenting units to my students.

WAZ Up?
Who Cares?
So What?

WAZ Up?
The acronym stands for What are some issues? Analyze the importance? Zone in on the main ideas! Here's my thinking. A 2-3 minute introduction on the issues we must work on during the unit. Students then analyze what they think is important from the issues presented. Then we can focus on the main things the state standards say are important (but the students were allowed to realize the issues of importance "on their own" by thinking through them).

Who Cares?
This isn't meant to be sarcastic or harsh, although to the 7th grade mind it will be -- that's the point. What I want to do with this is find resources from people who have written, photographed, videoed, interviewed, or whatever else about the issue at hand. i hope to find enough material from differing viewpoints. For instance, we have to (un)cover the conflicts between Israelis and Arabs. Showing differing opinions on the "promise land" and who was promised what, and when will demonstrate who cares about something that, frankly, Georgia's 7th graders don't care about.

So What?
My favorite question ever. This is the conclusion of the unit. The so what? question is where we bring it home. The issues which warring parties in the middle east face are not much different than the gang activity that takes place in our hallways, and on the streets where I teach. Tagging (graffiti) is all about "promise land" territory. What happens in the middle east, happens in my town (and yours) just on a different scale. Apartheid was a minority authority, which my kids will understand because our school is 65% Hispanic student in a school with less than 1% of the teachers/staff who are Hispanic. [And teachers wonder why I keep trying to convince so many Hispanic students to go into teaching.]

So, what do you think? What am I missing? Can this approach work? What are things I should consider? Anyone, anyone -- Bueller, Bueller?

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Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
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