Amping Up My Note-Taking

So I have an idea.  I’m always having ideas, and I try to implement as many as I can without causing complete mayhem in the classroom 😝.  I always tell the kids too, and get their feedback.  After all, they ARE the experts.  Some ideas fall flat, some are amazing. This idea, it’s not too exciting, but I’m hoping that it’s super successful. 

It all started after listening to Jennifer Gonzalez’ fantastic note-taking podcast. If you don’t listen to the Cult of Pedagogy podcast, you’re missing out on some of the best free professional learning. 

So, she talked about the best ways to take notes. Talked about the research. And it seems that the combination of all of the different types of note-taking, works best. Now that sounds like a muddle doesn’t it.  After all, how much stuff can we throw at our poor kiddos?!  What I mean by all of them is, we need to find ways to mix in scaffolded notes (fill-in-the-blank notes), with teacher notes, with students taking their own notes. All three types of note-taking have benefits, so it only makes sense that all three put together is the best way to teach. But then I thought, why not add another layer to the mix?  An area for ‘help needed’ or ‘questions I have’?  

One of my goals this year is to truly work on better feedback. I think that is probably a goal for every teacher, right?  I really want to better my feedback with my students. I read about these wonderful ideas, but I always run into time issues.  I try to conference, but never get around the room. I add reflection in there whenever I can, but then take up all my own time in reading and response.  I’ve thought about cutting my own time by having kids to prepare for conferences, but then that adds a layer of extra work to their already full plates, flies in the face of my desire to avoid homework, and the very kids who need the most support, will be the students who don’t do it. 

But reflection is vital to learning.

Feedback is my job.

Personal conferencing is best teaching practice.

So here’s what I’m thinking. To the side of the notes I just created, I have added an area for a student questions.  They will take notes initially in their composition books.  Then they will be given their prepared notes for their folders to ensure they have the information they might have missed in their note-taking (I need to add some scaffolded sections in there too), and then we’ll have a two minute reflection time.  

Wait!  

An even better idea has come to mind!  At the end of class, when we have our final five (my closing activity), they can revisit their questions and add to them, writing out their most compelling thoughts on an index card to submit to me.  That way they revisit the thinking after doing the work the notes were preparing them for - and I have an instant assessment of student thinking. Yes!  I like that addition!

Oh my goodness. Now I’m getting even more excited. So all that remains is for me to create these all-singing-all-dancing notes for all topics if this works. I guess I’ll be putting that on my to do list. 

Time to implement!  Let’s GO 🏃‍♀️

The TQE Method

Today was one of the good days.  Actually, today was one of the GREAT days - the best kind of days to be a teacher.  The kind of day where birds are singing and you can't keep the bounce from your step.

There are so many days that are tough.  So many moments when you wonder just WHAT you have to do to get the love of learning embedded into those minds.  But it is all worth it for the days like today.

Yup, the birds are still singing 😍

So, what's all this about?  Well, it is all thanks to Jennifer Gonzalez and her podcast The Cult of Pedagogy - and to her amazing guest Marisa Thompson.  Marisa shared her TQE Method on the podcast, and I could hardly contain my excitement as I visualized how well this would work in Room 1113. Between my personality, my students need to have excitement in reading discussions rewoken, and the fact that we were about to embark on a novel using flipped reading, this podcast made me hurry home (I was listening on my nightly walk) to open up my calendar and figure out how it could be used - where and when.  I could hardly wait!

So, what's the excitement?

In some ways it could be considered a simple way to have students share their reading, with a catchy moniker to add a certain cachet.  But it is so much more.  I had non-readers responding, typically silent students itching to talk, and I heard Room 1113 filled with reasoning about just WHY the author had made certain decisions.  Wait!  What was happening?  I was watching my sixth graders, who just last week had struggled with central idea, discoursing about author purpose and tone and mood!

OK, so enough with the build-up!

Thoughts, Questions, & Epiphanies
Room 1113 gets to work!

Here is the simple premise.  Over the last few days we talked about thoughts about reading, questions that readers may have, and how when you are reading you might have epiphanies - especially when some of those thoughts and questions were answered as the book was read.  The students were issued their books and given a reading assignment.  They had to complete a short reflection in Google Classroom - and it was all due this morning before school.

I should note - the school provides a class set.  I've had enough of never having enough books, not being able to let students read when they want.  I'm done with not being able to get to read the entire book in class as the pesky pacing plan always interrupts our flow.  This year, I wanted it to be different.  I shopped and searched and was able to add books to our supply.  I had even one parent donate 4 books.  Between students getting their own copy, the school copies, and mine...EVERY SINGLE STUDENT was able to take ownership of his/her reading.  In addition, our ELA collaborative group created audio recordings of each chapter so that students could be supported in their reading - especially our ESOL and other struggling kiddos.

Back to the TQE.

Our whiteboard is consistently covered in messages, our Question of the Day, and our reading recommendations, so I put big sheets of white paper over the boards, titling one THOUGHTS, one QUESTIONS, and one EPIPHANY!  As the students walked in, they saw the message on the board - they had 8 minutes to get in groups and come up with a thought, question, or epiphany from chapters 1-5 of The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev.

The groups were self-selected (other than that ONE class.  There's always one class....that class had special grouping created, including the group that I was in!).  I immediately saw that this was going to work.  How could I tell?

• When that one student who doesn't talk was bubbling over with a question.
• When my ESOL student who never shares was standing at the board writing.  
• When the students weren't bouncing on their stability balls but were seriously leaning over their book copies....

But that was only the beginning.

Following Marisa's feedback. I helped the students to talk through their thinking and to help them to better their questions by relating back to author craft and just WHY the author made that decision.

I heard my ESOL student suggesting that Uri Orlev (the author) had started the book with the father teaching his son how to work a pistol was to get our attention and build interest.  YES!

I heard a typically quiet student suggested that the author knew that we would infer that Alex's mom was a concentration camp, so making it feel even worse that Alex didn't know what had happened to her...

I watched the thinking, the reactions, the responses, the follow-ups.

It was great.  It was perfect.

Can we extend and deepen? Of course! Could the questions and thoughts have been deeper?  Naturally.  Are we struggling with epiphany? Sure. But these sixth graders really grew - and when we reflected, were all thrilled with this new way of discussing the book. The handful who had not read the book were abashed and disappointed with themselves. Today, I let them stay, because I wanted them to see the process. Next week non-readers will go outside to read while the rest of us discuss.

I wish that we could do this more often. Oh, for block schedules that would allow reading AND discussion on the same day.  But that's a dream and discussion for another day!  My kiddos rocked and rolled it today.  Room 1113 was full of academic discourse and literary discussion.

Yes.  Birds are still singing!

If you want YOUR birds to sing and to hear the full details of the method, listen to the podcast episode here:  Deeper Class Discussions with the TQE Method

 

Beginning to Find the Flow

It's mid-October.  I should have found a rhythm by now, but it's been hard.  No need to go back over the textbook and the changed curriculum.  Why rehash the difficulties?  Writing about negatives sometimes makes me feel more negative, so let's not 😁But here we are, past Fall Break and approaching Thanksgiving, and it is all beginning to come together.  As always, a myriad of convoluted happenstances is what has created the change.

1. Our principal met with the 6th grade ELA team.  There were tears.  We vented, we soul-searched, we strived to be the rule followers and team players we are, while honestly demonstrating how each of us is reaching the end of her proverbial tether.  The release was good.  Even better was the resounding support and planning ideas given to us.  Some weight was lifted, the spark of creativity relit.
2. We had our ELA CPT days.  Each content area is divided into grade level collaborative planning teams, and our school allows (and encourages) us to take a day with a paid sub, to plan and create together.  This year we were given the additional gift of one day for on-level and one for advanced. While always beneficial, this year it was literally life-changing - from a pedagogical standpoint, anyway!  With only 2-weeks notice about curriculum changes prior to the beginning of the school year, we have been literally planning from week-to-week, flying a little blind with the textbook, shoring up our teaching with what we know we do well from prior years, but never quite having the time to find rhythm and create flow.  We planned.  Oh boy, did we plan!  We took the new pacing plan and input what we knew worked from last year.  Booksnaps, novels, and DBQs ... OH MY!  The sparks were igniting.  Creating the lesson slides and preparing started to bring me the joy they always have once again.
3. I received an award.  Every month at our faculty meeting, our administrative team recognizes teachers for Inspiring Wonder.  Last year I received an award for Blazing New Trails, and honestly, it felt both right and deserved.  I was building something fantastic in our classroom, it was becoming a joyful place.  This year, I have struggled. I haven't felt worthy of any recognition other than for working hard.  Knowing that despite the struggle, the administration still recognized the spark, meant even more. 
   
4. I was observed by Mike, our Assistant Principal.  I love being observed.  Teaching is almost always a bit of a 'high' for me.  Oh, OK, there are THOSE days and those periods where it is a struggle to keep the energy high, but mostly, it's my happy place.  Add someone observing and I am on fire inside!  I love to be watched.  It brings out my best teaching and allows me to be the educator I always desire to be.  Even better was Mike's strategy of writing little notes and leaving them on my laptop to find later.  Such a fantastic way to give immediate feedback.  I need to do that with my students.  I will be starting that on Monday.  Who doesn't like to receive positive feedback?

And then, finally, this week, I got to share at our school collaboration.  I love to share.  Training peers is almost as much fun as teaching.  Well, except for the part where I am worried that no one will come.  That bit is always tough.  I even talked to Mike about whether the preparation it would take was going to be value for my time.  What if I spent hours creating and no one came?  He persuaded me otherwise, and I am so glad he did. Granted, the first session was only attended by Elizabeth, teacher friend who was there simply to support me (bless her!).  I got to practice and find my groove.  Second session brought in different faces and it fired me up.  Oh, how I love to share what I know and brainstorm what I don't!  The topic was on using social media to build pedagogical practice.  Since it was something near and dear to my heart, it was fun to put together and a blast to present.

Teaching my favorite lesson this week didn't hurt either!

She's back and she's got a HUGE smile on her face!