Principal's Message 10/13/08

THE POWER OF THE WORKSHEET…OR LACK OF?

Through the years of my educational experience as a student, a teacher, and an administrator, I look back on what worked for me as a learner. As an elementary student, the assignments that I remember the most are the projects I completed like the one I did on Sharks. I will never forget that the whale shark is the largest of the species and that they are made of cartilage. I also remember my colonial day project that I had to build a model for. I could tell you a fact or two about that time in history. Beds were made of straw, the common features in the houses, and what the people wore. I recall a project in third grade about an Indigenous Indians who lived in the mountains in a dry area somewhere in the world. Most of the projects involved gathering information and organizing it to prove certain points. It forced me to be the source of information instead of relying on my teacher. I can’t remember one worksheet that I did. I can recall throwing answers in some blanks and rewriting some questions and attaching a couple of words to open ended questions. Multiple choice problems, as a child, were my favorite if it was not going to be graded. I could throw any letter in any of the blanks or draw some random lines to show one concept was connected to the other. Plus, my chances of guessing the answer was much higher than having to come up with an answer on my own. Try to remember one worksheet you filled out growing up. How many do you remember?

Even in my college and graduate school career, I know for a fact I did not do one worksheet. If worksheets are efficient, then there must be a reason why they were not implemented in my higher education. In all of my levels of education, I would have to say I learned the most in college and graduate school. My learning had less structure and more writing than ever before in my life. College had random classes like the History of Music, Psychology 101, and Environmental Science where I had to take a test. There was not many times after my basic classes that I had to take another one. If I did have a test, I was required to answer open ended questions, problems, and write essays. Most of my assessments consisted of research papers. I remember spending most of my time at the computer lab typing away and using the internet to find supporting facts to support my thesis statement. Why was the worksheet aborted to measure my knowledge? If the worksheet is efficient, why are they not popular at Ohio University and Fordham University?

As a teacher, worksheets were much easier to grade especially for the multiple choices and fill in the blanks. To be honest, I avoided those two types of questions because I remember how little I invested into them. They were easy to cheat on and most teachers did not check the results. If they did, then I made sure I sat next to one of the responsible students in my class the period before it was due if I did not feel like completing it. The worst worksheets I recall were the ones with questions that used the same exact words in the textbook so if you went to look up the answer you would easily be able to figure out what went in the blank or which multiple choice answer to select. The immediate recall of information through the structure of finding key words to acknowledge the proper answer assesses the child’s ability to use key words to find answers. It also assesses a child’s ability to research but I would say the accuracy of the assessment is hardly existent. According to our MECCA rubric on student work, it can easily be determined that worksheets are not very favorable if you are looking to install meaningful, engaging, high level thinking by making connections between concepts, and challenging work within the classroom or when the child is at home. When I was a teacher, I used to cut and paste parts of several resources to create a worksheet. I never used what was provided for me in one single workbook or resource. I avoided multiple choice questions and fill in the blanks because I remembered how I handled those type of questions when I was a student. I wanted my assessments to be meaningful and really push the student to think about their answers. I wanted to eliminate copying and push the students to develop conjectures.

If research tells us the more students read and write the better they develop and perform on state assessments, then I wonder how worksheets fit into the day-to-day learning of our students. Recalling information is a low-level assessment according to Bloom’s Taxonomy where as applying information to create a conjecture or prove a point is much higher on the ladder. Most worksheets look alike as well. Short answer questions ranging between multiple choice, fill in the blanks, or calculating a problem occupy the first section of the worksheet (usually the first 10) or maybe the entire page. Then the ending hopefully has two or three open ended questions. Our students consistently give fragmented sentences as answers to these inquiries. The point of this work is very vague to me.

Our goal is to provide the best education for our students. I know you all believe in this. I see it in the passion you bring to your day to day work. What we do in our classroom is highly influenced by the education we received growing up. For me, college and graduate school is where my best learning took place. When I became a teacher, this greatly influenced how I ran my classroom. I wanted to prepare my students for what lied ahead and I wanted them to get the bigger picture, not the small answers. Although worksheets give example questions of what they will see on their state assessments, there are limited methods you can teach students to approach a multiple choice question. The learning takes place when they do higher level thinking such as applying information that was shared with them, when they make connections to previous concepts when new ones are introduced, and when they find what they are doing dealing with situations that are realistic.

Getting our students to write is a very difficult battle. We cannot back down because of what we face when we attempt to get them to produce more (resistance, struggle, etc.). If we all participate in getting the students to use part of the question to answer an open ended question, gather three facts within text to support an argument, or other writing techniques, they will learn how to do it. If our students’ spelling, grammar, and punctuation are below grade level, then we need to create more opportunities to apply that knowledge and get feedback on how to do it better. If I spent my day going from class to class finding out how to write properly, I will put my bank account on the line to say that I will improve my writing skills by June. I would put the same wager on our students. Let’s really look at the work we are requiring our students to do on a daily basis. If you are reliant on worksheets to push the thinking of your students then you need to realize you are not providing the best education for your students. This requires you to reflect and reorganize your assessments. There are so many resources out there, especially with the internet, which will allow you to push the thinking of your students. Let’s take advantage of them together.

CHILD STUDY TEAM – EXPLORING THE CASE MANAGER

We hope that this will help us all to see that the role of CASE MANAGER need not be heavy, complex, difficult, demanding, time-consuming…etc.
If a student is at the point that the team has decided that a referral to the Child Study Team might be appropriate, then it is likely that you are all already familiar with HEAVY, COMPLEX, DIFFICULT, DEMANDING, TIME-CONSUMING….as concepts you are coping with in the classroom….hmmm…..(hint hint…)

Let us look at the Child Study Team process as an opportunity to do some valuable interdisciplinary collaboration toward the goal of being able to more effectively work with our students. Is it a bit of an investment in time? OH YES. Can it make a difference? ABSOLUTELY. This we know.
Let our wonderful work together continue. Thank you for all that you are doing to put together the YELLOW Referral to Child Study Team forms.

What is the role of the “Case Manager”?...

The hope of the Child Study Team is that the Case Manager shall participate in brainstorming as we together search for answers.
Wednesdays—Periods 2 and 3. Child Study Team Meeting. This is where the brainstorming begins…Our brainstorming process yields fascinating and important information. As you come to the Child Study Team meeting as the Case Manager—we ask not so much that you come with answers, but that you come with questions. As we all brainstorm together, answers will emerge that shall focus our thinking, and guide our interventions.
The team members who referred the child to Child Study shall receive a copy of the Child Study Team Accountability Form.
This form outlines what -we -said –we- gonna -do….who’- gonna –do- it….What the time-frame might be. Like that. Accountability.

Case manager—you are the point person for the team. You are a part of helping to follow-up, check in, etc to see how the stuff on the Accountability Form is going. That’s it. It should all be there--who- is -gonna –do- what. How are we doing with it? Is stuff being done? Has follow-up taken place? Is more time needed? Like that.

You may wish to delegate parts of this follow-up as needed. For example, the CASE MANAGER might ask another teacher on the team to check out some specific information about the parent’s __x__ . You may ask a guidance and counseling colleague to check into the results of student’s most recent _x__. The case manager may ask another teacher to check back about the details of ___x__.

Then the Case Manager shall check back with the Child Study Team to report these updates.

Ongoing follow-up, and information -sharing are BEST PRACTICES for our work together.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE

The discipline committee meets every week from 3:15 to 4:15 to address issues surrounding the structure, implementation, and effectiveness of the school-wide discipline code. In our first meetings, we have set goals for the school year and addressed some issues regarding the code's implementation.
- JOIN THE COMMITTEE: Members of the discipline committee are eager and excited to work with new staff members and veteran staff members interested in improving our school's culture. Please join us at this week's meeting on Thursday in Ms. Quiambo's room.
- ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN: Please be on the lookout for any signs of bullying in the school. Expect resources from the discipline committee regarding this issue in the coming weeks.

COMMUNITY CORNER

We are continuing to explore how we can make our school a more welcoming environment. As we visit, other schools, we are seeing how their buildings feel and what their main office displays. For instance, in PS 72, there is student writing all along the walls. There are other sections of the building dedicated to celebrating the achievements of their students. There are posters with positive messages and quotes on the importance of literacy. We need to reflect on our priorities and make sure anyone who walks through our building knows what they are. When people walk through the lobby, they see that attendance, our students and staff are important to JHS 13. Make sure the community knows what is important within your classroom office, and in your area of your grade team.

The parent resource center, located in room 323, is here to assist parents and families in numerous capacities. Ms. Word, our parent coordinator, will either provide information or avenues of support for all parent issues. Please take advantage of this resource. This includes staff as well.

We will be hosting the High School Seminar on October 16th from 6pm to 8pm to inform parents and students how to select the right school for our children and how to fill out the applications properly. We will also be hosting our PTA elections during that time. If you are interested in running for a position, please let Ms. Word know (renneword@yahoo.com or 917-805-4700). Finally, we will be hosting a parent workshop on October 30th on understanding your child’s promotional criteria. Please come and join us to find out how important the 7th grade year is and what has changed from last year’s expectations to this years.

ATTENDANCE

Our attendance has been the best it ever has been. This is a great reflection on how much they enjoy coming to our school. There is still a small population of students who are struggling with maintaining strong day to day attendance. If we all reach out to these students to remind them how important it is to come to school every day, we will hopefully make a difference. For teachers, displaying your independent reading classes’ attendance on the walls can really make a difference. Simply asking a student why they weren’t in school the day before in a concerned tone makes a huge impact on a student to know they were missed.

We just had 7 days in a row with over 90% attendance. We were tested with intermittent days off in between but we still managed to maintain great participation with our students. Unfortunately, on Friday we had only 85% of our students in school. Let’s begin another streak and beat our 7 days by being accurate with attendance, encouraging students to come to school, and celebrating the students who are coming to school. Lastly, continuing to build a welcoming environment for students and a strong community within your classroom are two powerful techniques that can make an incredible difference. If students desire to come to your class, they will come to school. We all know, the more our students are in school, the better their grades will be because of all the opportunities we get to take advantage of to make a difference in their lives.

BIRTHDAYS:

Vivian Doles October 7th
Ishrath Azad October 19th
Joanne Tu October 29th
Jerome Young October 31st

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The capacity of a team is met when all its participants are asking each other how they can help the cause rather than causing the need for help.”–Anonymous