Feb 21

Ratio of Interactions

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Some of the most powerful tools that teachers have at their disposal are absolutely free!  The spoken word, a pat on the back, a thumbs up – these positive interactions are highly effective for motivating students and shaping behavior.  Current research indicates that a ratio of 5:1 – five positive interactions to one negative is optimal for relationship building and improving student behavior and performance.  It is fascinating to note that researchers have applied this ratio to adult relationships as well.  Successful business AND marriages are built on positive interactions; therefore, we not only encourage appropriate behavior, but model for our students the types of interactions that will serve them throughout adulthood.

Interactions are deemed positive or negative depending on the behavior which they are addressing.  With this being said, any interaction that is in response to an inappropriate behavior is considered to be a negative interaction regardless of how kindly it is delivered.  For example, a student may be blurting out in class and I say, “Katie, I am so glad that you know the answer, but I need to see that other know as well.”  The correction was delivered in a kind manner, but since the behavior being addressed is negative, the interaction is still a negative interaction.

So, how does this ratio occur in your classroom?  Well, it does not just happen, it requires that you make a concerted effort to systematically acknowledge and reinforce appropriate behaviors as often as possible.  Additionally, when dealing with inappropriate behaviors, it is important to determine which behaviors can be ignored and which behaviors must be addressed.  When a student exhibits an inappropriate behavior in your classroom, ask yourself the following questions:  Can I still teach?  Can the student still learn?  Can the other students still learn?  If the answer to all three questions is YES, ignore the behavior.  If you consciously acknowledge appropriate behaviors and ignore those behaviors that do not interfere with instruction, you will make great strides toward the 5:1 ratio.

Begin your morning with 10 pennies, paperclips, or other small object in your pocket.  Each time you feel the object in your pocket, provide a positive interaction and remove one item from the pocket.  By lunchtime, your pocket should be empty.  Refill and strive to deliver at least ten more positive interactions before the end of the school day.  Even at this rate, you most likely have not reached the 5:1 ratio, but you are training yourself to make positive interactions a part of your daily instruction.  By achieving this ratio, we teach our students that they will more readily gain access to teacher attention by behaving appropriately rather than inappropriately.

“The more positive attention a child receives the more cooperative he becomes.”  (http://www.aish.com/f/p/48918197.html)

Feb 07

KAGAN Training comes to TAH

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On February 29, 2012 WTEC along with the TAH Grant will be hosting a KAGAN event in Richmond, KY.

Currently we have 45 teachers signed up for this training, along with several more on our waiting list. Our TAH teachers have been excited to hear about this training and what new strategies it will bring. Below is a short description about this event.

Kagan Professional Development offers the world’s most powerful and engaging professional development opportunities for educators. Each year, Kagan offers workshops, academies, coaching, and courses to thousands of teachers, trainers, and administrators worldwide. What sets Kagan apart from other training organizations is Kagan Structures. Kagan Structures are research-based instructional strategies that have a track record of improving academic achievement and social outcomes.

We know the number one key to success in school is quality instruction. And the number one key to quality instruction is actively engaging students. It’s all about engagement! Kagan Professional Development offers world-famous Kagan Structures that boost engagement and learning for all students. Experience first-hand the power of the Kagan approach and come away with practical and proven strategies that you can really use tomorrow!

Jan 24

Practices to Support Struggling Learners

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Testing becomes more present on our minds the closer we get to the testing window.  After winter break, the countdown begins.  With all the new changes in standards, testing and the test administration, it can be a little stressful.

To provide some assistance to teachers, the state English / Language Arts PLC compiled a variety of strategies to help struggling learners.  The following practices are best learned when the teacher provides sufficient modeling, followed by guided, then independent practice.  They do not work equally well in all situations, or with all learners.  The key is to transfer as many strategies as possible to the students and demonstrate under which circumstances a particular strategy works best.

When text is complex and the student doesn’t understand:

  • Read on past the trouble spot for more information
  • Use key words in the sentence as clues
  • Read aloud
  • Make personal connections to text
  • Ask, “What else do you know about it?” (background knowledge)
  • Predict what will happen and then check prediction
  • Visualize or make mental pictures of text
  • Keep asking questions to clarify (self-monitor)
  • Find important events and ideas from the passage
  • Summarize notes in the margins or on post-its
  • Web around a repeated word
  • Re-read the section
  • Use the meaning of the most common prefixes & suffixes
  • Highlight key words and phrases
  • Read the question first, and then skim and scan
  • Use knowledge of text structure (expository & narrative)
  • Use Writing to Learn Strategies
  • Chunk by sentence, section, or page to summarize

When the student struggles with words within a text:

  • Look at all parts of the word (beginning, middle, ending)
  • Read on, then come back to the trouble spot
  • Think about what would make sense
  • Substitute another word that would make sense
  • See if it looks like another word you’ve seen (pattern)
  • Figure it out from the rest of the sentence (context clues)
  • Use key words in the sentence as clues
  • Check the graphics (if there are any) for clues
  • Use word analysis (affixes, root and base words, chunking)

When the student’s reading rate is slow:

  • Read only the first and last sentence in each paragraph to get the gist
  • Read the question first, then scan for the answer using words from the question
  • When stuck on a question, skip it, answer the ones you can, then go back
  • Use graphics
  • Look for bold, underlined, defined, or highlighted words in the text
  • Skim and scan
  • Use test-taking strategies to narrow answers
Jan 18

KY Gap Delivery Plan

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KDE has developed a Gap Delivery Plan to ensure that students from typically under-performing sub groups (i.e. Students with Disabilities, English Langauge Learners, Free/Reduced Lunch, etc) achieve at the highest levels possible.The plan has multiple components including   Consolidated Planning with the use of Data; a Communication Plan, Flexible Funding, Individual Learning Plans for students attending Alternative Schools, Digital Learning, Professional development, Progress Monitoring, and Intentional Use of Proficiency Strategies for Subgroups.  You can find out more about this plan at:  http://www.education.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/860aab54-b6fc-4a7d-9825-4f490c620393/0/gapdeliveryplan010612.pdf.

 

Jan 17

Making Math Fun and Meaningful

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In order for math to be fun yet meaningful for your students, I encourage you to teach mathematics with the “CRA” approach.  The CRA instructional sequence consists of three stages:  concrete, representation, and abstract.

Concrete:  In this stage, the teacher begins instruction by modeling each mathematical concept with concrete materials (hands-on materials).  This is the “doing” stage.

Representational:  In the representational stage, the teacher transforms the concrete model into representational (sometimes referred to as the semi-concrete) level.  This may include drawing pictures, using tallies, etc.  This is the “seeing” stage.

Abstract:  At this stage, the teacher models the mathematics concept at a symbolic level, using only numbers and mathematical symbols.  This is the “symbolic” stage.

Research-based studies show that students who use concrete materials develop more precise and more comprehensive mental representations, often show more motivation and on-task behavior, understand mathematical ideas, and better apply these ideas to real life situations.  The CRA sequence of learning provides a conceptually supported framework for students to create a meaningful connection among concrete, representational, and abstract levels of understanding.  Beginning with a concrete level of instruction allows students to develop a pictorial representation of those concrete objects and move toward the abstract level of understanding.

Some of the concepts that naturally lend themselves to using the CRA sequence include:  place value, computation, fractions, decimals, geometry, money, percentages, number bases, word problems, or measurement.

http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/CRA_Instructional_Approach.asp

Jan 02

Welcome Back

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It is a New Year!  Hopefully, you are feeling rested, rejuvenated, and ready to get back to the business of teaching.  We naturally spend a great deal of time in self-reflection during this season. As you reflect over the first half of your school year, focus on the successes you experienced and think about how you can use those successes to ensure greater student achievement this New Year.

January is a great time to revisit and re-teach your classroom expectations and procedures.  Keep in mind the rules and expectations that are critical to the integrity of your classroom, and take this opportunity to re-teach those expectations.  How do I do that you ask?  It is simple – we all have our own expectations within the framework of our school-wide guidelines and expectations.  Think about how those expectations fit into the structure of your classroom and enable you and your students to teach and learn at the highest levels possible. Once you have isolated those procedures important to you, take the time to use the model-lead-test method to teach your students what those expectations “look” like to you, in your classroom, and throughout your school environment.  Remember, model the appropriate, almost appropriate, and inappropriate behaviors for your students to analyze, but only allow them to practice the appropriate behaviors.  If you would like samples of these lesson plans, feel free to email me and I will send you a few to get you started.

Welcome back and thanks for ALL you do!

Dec 21

Welcome to Our Blog!

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WTEC is taking a big leap into the 21st century by unveiling our new website (www.wildernesstrail.org) and blog!  We are so excited to begin using this form of technology to communicate with the districts throughout our region.  Check our blog weekly, on Tuesdays starting in January of 2012, for updates from one or more of our consultants.  The purpose of our blog is to share new information or timely reminders of previously shared information.  As we become more technologically savvy, expect more frequent posts.  Additionally, if you have comments or suggestions for future blog topics, feel free to contact any WTEC consultant or leave a comment.