• Personalized Learning
  • Blog
  • Contact

CCSD
PersonaLized
Learning

"Bringing change to education one child at a time"

The Evolution of a Learning Wall

11/21/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
By: Chelsea Hebert Moore, Pepperhill Elementary - 1st Grade

My classroom is a work in progress, and I am proud to say it will ALWAYS be a work in progress.  Over the past six years, my room has never quite looked the same week to week.  This is because I am constantly altering the way I teach/manage/organize in order to be the best version of myself as a teacher.  This year, as I continued on my journey through personalized learning, I took on unpacking standards.  In the process, a part of my room, a wall in particular, was transformed.


It all started as one small chart, and then just kept expanding until it took over.  I now have a learning wall- literally a wall that showcases all we are learning in the classroom. The students know that this is the hub of all things first grade.  
We sit on the carpet next to it to create our charts (oh, how I love chart paper and a good Sharpie marker).  Don’t get me wrong, technology is amazing, but sometimes you just need to unpack what you are learning on paper! 

At the beginning of each new standard, I write out an “I can statement” on the dry erase board.  The kids try to read along as I write it, and then we unpack and see what they already know about the content.  After that, we create part of an anchor chart for the particular skill, and we put it under that subject.  The learning wall is a “live document” as they say- constantly being added to, changed, and tweaked over the course of the week.  If a student is struggling during an independent time, I may have them reference the wall.  If I am working with a small group, all 5 of us may take a trip over to the wall as a refresher before we start.  When guests come in and ask the kids what they are learning about, you guessed it- fingers point to the wall as they explain.

This process has been great for me!  I feel like I am more organized.  I know what I want to accomplish, and it is seen in plain sight if I have taught enough information to cover the standard.   It has also been great for the students as well.  As you may know, it hurts your heart to ask the age old question, “What have we been learning about in science?” only to met with the sound of crickets.  Students now know to look at the wall, and their memories of that amazing lesson you taught on Shadows are instantly triggered.  

As any teacher of personal mastery knows, goals are vital.  My own goals surrounding the learning wall are to make it more student centered.  I would like to have actual work posted under the standards, to show what a “level 3” work sample would look like.  I would also like students to start taking pictures on their iPads of the charts before new ones are put up.  This way they can look at them at their own pace if they have yet to master a skill and we (as a whole group), have moved on.

Overall, the learning wall has forever changed the way I teach, and I recommend starting one (even if it’s initially just for one or two subjects); you will see firsthand how the students start to positively respond.  In another six years, my learning wall will not look exactly the same, and I am excited about that.  As for now, bring on the chart paper!


4 Comments

It’s A New Thing- Personalized Learning

11/13/2014

2 Comments

 
  Initially, as a first-year teacher at a personalized learning school, I had butterflies on my first day. I didn’t know about shared visions, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), Code of Cooperation, etc. I just wanted to be prepared. I just wanted to be liked by my students. I just wanted to change the lives of my students and positively impact their lives (as if that wasn’t huge enough). I just wanted to get through the first day, first week, and first month of school.

 Everything that I had learned in graduate school I was ready to put in place. I wanted to find ways to properly present my classroom management plan and begin teaching. I learned that presenting my classroom management plan was a lesson in itself, the longest lesson I’d ever taught (about 2 weeks).

 I genuinely believe my classroom management plan blossomed after the shared vision, code of cooperation, and SOPs were introduced. Our classroom shared vision is “We will learn so we can get an education, get a job, make money, take care of ourselves, and help others.” My class values the shared vision because each student can see their voice in it. The shared vision is what I consider “long-term goals for right-now learning.”  My students recite their shared vision daily during our morning meeting. They all can state the shared vision without looking at the poster display in class. The Code of Cooperation aligned with the shared vision and serves as a “how to” for students to ensure that they are working to meet the shared vision. My students signed their name on our code of cooperation on August 27, 2014. They love seeing their names written on the code of cooperation poster!

Picture
Picture
Picture
     SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are procedures set in place by the students and teacher to address routines and other functions throughout the day such as: morning procedure, dismissal procedure, etc. What I did in my classroom was help students identify a need for an SOP. We started off with one simple SOP for morning procedure and then week by week students began to identify the need for an SOP based on areas where the students struggled. We now have 7 SOPs and they range from talking to dismissal. 


     So far, our class shared vision, code of cooperation, and SOPs have allowed students to have a role in processes that govern the classroom. I believe they feel a sense of entitlement and importance in the decision process. I also feel that they are much more accountable and responsible for their actions since they took part in making the rules.

     
It would be great one day to know that these very 3rd graders who created a vision for themselves actually live it out. I always encourage my students and say to them it would be the greatest feeling in the world to have them call me 10 years from now inviting me to their high school graduations. When students finish high school and go on to college they have already committed themselves to the beginning components of their shared vision.

Picture
By April Bright
3rd Grade Teacher
Goodwin Elementary

Picture
2 Comments

What are the Standards Asking Us to Do?

11/2/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureUnpacking standards, Goodwin Elementary
By: Pam Hubler

Kids don't always understand the
standards that teachers refer to when they're teaching a lesson.  The easiest way to help students understand what they're going to learn is to "unpack" them first.  This is a very useful strategy if you'd like your students to be able to answer the question, "What are you learning about today?".

One of the components of
Personalized Learning
is the transparency of learning, where students explain the standards they're learning and track their progress toward mastery of the standards.  Unpacking standards before teaching the content gives the students ownership of their learning.  Participating in this activity before learning a new concept can also increase motivation by holding students accountable for personal academic goals.

How do you "unpack" standards?

Jason Kraeger from Pinehurst Elementary has a great FREE template on teacherspayteachers.com that would be useful for this process.  Teachers could also create a section on their board with tape (electrical or Washi) for each step of the process.   A hand drawn template on chart paper would work as well.  Students can even use this strategy themselves in a notebook, data binder or printed template. 

Step 1: 

Write the standard out so the kids are aware of the original language. 
Example: 2.NBT.A.4 - Number & Operations in Base Ten /Understand place value.  4. Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using >,=, and < symbols to record the results of             comparisons. 

Step 2: 
As a group, pull out the verbs and nouns or terms to know. 

This will help students understand what they need to know and do. Teachers and students can do this by circling, underlining or highlighting the terms. 
Example: Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using >,=, and < symbols to record the results of             comparisons. 
Know: digits, hundreds, tens, ones, symbols >,=,<
Do: Compare, record the results

Step 3: 
Use the words you've pulled out and change the original standard language to "kid friendly" terms. 

Example: I can compare 3 digit numbers with hundreds, tens and ones using >,= and < signs. 

Step 4: 
Once the standard is written in "kid friendly terms," have the students answer the following questions: 

  • What am I learning about?
  • Why am I learning this?
  • How will I know I learned this?  
This will help them understand what they will be learning and how they'll know that they've mastered the standard. 

Some examples of unpacked standard and helpful video links are posted below.
Try it today!  Good luck and visit us again soon for next steps to Personalize Learning in your classroom!
Picture
A.C Corcoran Elementary
Picture
A.C Corcoran Elementary
Picture
Pinehurst Elementary
A Teacher's Perspective: Unpacking Standards
Unpacking Standards
Making Learning Transparent
*These links also use www.nicertube.com, a less distracting way to present YouTube videos.

0 Comments

    About

    Charleston County School District (CCSD) is located in Charleston, South Carolina.  

    Archives

    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    October 2013

    Categories

    All
    Code Of Cooperation
    Goal Setting
    Growth Mindset
    High School
    IPads
    Northwoods Middle School
    Parking Lot
    PBIS
    Personalized Learning
    Pinterest
    RISC
    SAMR Model
    Shared Vision
    Social Media
    Standard Operating Procedures
    Technology
    Transparency Of Learning
    Twitter
    Unpacking Standards

    WEBSITE

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.