Today I am wondering how many other schools in the United States will still be in session next week?? I know mine will and it's so frustrating! School in June should be outlawed even if we do miss 100 snow days. Anyway, whether you're already out or you get out tomorrow or you have to go all next week like me, we all know as teachers that the end of the year can be very frustrating!! This year, beginning May 3rd, our kids took 6 days of CATS testing, 3 days of Iowa testing, 5 days of MAP testing, 2 days of a tech assessment called Simple Assessment and for some of them a few finals. They are not only "tested-out".....they are "WORN-OUT"!!
So what does a teacher do for the last five days of school when grades have already been posted (per the office's request) without losing her mind? I have the answer my friends....the Cognitive Tutor. I know, it sounds crazy, but it sure worked for me today!! My kids know that we had to have grades posted yesterday. They know that the year is done despite the fact that they still have to come five more days. And somehow, when they walked in my classroom today and I said, "ok we're going to get on the Cognitive Tutor," not one of them complained. They got on, they started working, and they even asked for my help. They wanted to get farther.
I think for some of them it's like a video game they've been playing all year that they just want to get ONE more level on. And for others it's about not being bored to death. And for a few it might be about actually learning all they can before they get to high school next year, but it doesn't matter to me what motivates them...I'm just glad they like to work!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Training!
So I got a new iPod touch this week and I have fallen in LOVE! I had no idea that it would be so much fun, but it is. I downloaded iTunes (all by myself) and uploaded my music and even a few new applications and I was ready to play. Or at least I thought I was!! Until one of my students noticed my new toy.
You know, I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. In fact, in my school building, I'd say that I am the second "go-to" person when it comes to technology issues. Little did I know, though, that my students had MUCH more knowledge on how to get the MOST out of using my new iPod than I could have ever dreamed of!! The student showed me all sorts of cool things I could do, applications I could download to make my life easier, ways to check my email, how I could text (for free...without a phone), and even ways I could use it in the classroom. Who knew?!??
Anyway, I realized on my way home yesterday how much like trying to teach the Carnegie way without the proper training my iPod situation was. You think everything is going well and you know what you're doing. Students seem to enjoy the lab and their grades are a little better. But you have no idea how much MORE effectively you could teach with Carnegie PD. (Well, at least that was true for me.)
I have talked to many teachers who use Carnegie over the last several years and nine times out of ten the ones who are frustrated with it haven't been trained to use it. If you are teaching with Carnegie and have had NO training (directly from Carnegie), even if you're enjoying it and feel like you're doing a good job, trust me, life would be much easier and you would be teaching much more efficiently if you DID get some training!! (Plus, it's fun.)
I had three different Carnegie Professional Development's before I started using it in the classroom and two more after. Now, that's a bit on the extreme side, but I am telling you from experience, getting the PD straight from the creators of the curriculum and software is a no-brainer! Thanks to the trainings I have attended, I have learned so much about how to introduce Carnegie, set up my classroom and lab, choose groups of students, implement the text effectively, monitor the lab, pace my teaching, authentically assess my students, and the list goes on and on.
All this being said, I realize it isn't easy for some of you (teachers) to get yourself into training. You could look for some regional trainings, attend the National Math Institute this summer in Nashville, TN or if you are using Carnegie district-wide get onto your district PD coordinators and ask why they haven't already scheduled you some Professional Development!!
You know, I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. In fact, in my school building, I'd say that I am the second "go-to" person when it comes to technology issues. Little did I know, though, that my students had MUCH more knowledge on how to get the MOST out of using my new iPod than I could have ever dreamed of!! The student showed me all sorts of cool things I could do, applications I could download to make my life easier, ways to check my email, how I could text (for free...without a phone), and even ways I could use it in the classroom. Who knew?!??
Anyway, I realized on my way home yesterday how much like trying to teach the Carnegie way without the proper training my iPod situation was. You think everything is going well and you know what you're doing. Students seem to enjoy the lab and their grades are a little better. But you have no idea how much MORE effectively you could teach with Carnegie PD. (Well, at least that was true for me.)
I have talked to many teachers who use Carnegie over the last several years and nine times out of ten the ones who are frustrated with it haven't been trained to use it. If you are teaching with Carnegie and have had NO training (directly from Carnegie), even if you're enjoying it and feel like you're doing a good job, trust me, life would be much easier and you would be teaching much more efficiently if you DID get some training!! (Plus, it's fun.)
I had three different Carnegie Professional Development's before I started using it in the classroom and two more after. Now, that's a bit on the extreme side, but I am telling you from experience, getting the PD straight from the creators of the curriculum and software is a no-brainer! Thanks to the trainings I have attended, I have learned so much about how to introduce Carnegie, set up my classroom and lab, choose groups of students, implement the text effectively, monitor the lab, pace my teaching, authentically assess my students, and the list goes on and on.
All this being said, I realize it isn't easy for some of you (teachers) to get yourself into training. You could look for some regional trainings, attend the National Math Institute this summer in Nashville, TN or if you are using Carnegie district-wide get onto your district PD coordinators and ask why they haven't already scheduled you some Professional Development!!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Little Red Box
This post was inspired by a comment on last week's blog about students who won't work. She really reminded me about an extremely important aspect of the Cognitive Tutor that, as teachers, we should always be looking out for......the little red box!!
I'll never forget the first time I was able to use the Cognitive Tutor with my students. I was so excited about getting to show them their detailed reports so they could see just what they had been doing over the last few times we had been in the lab. As I was explaining the different aspects of the report, I got to "Errors Per Problem" and one of my students raised their hand for me to come and look at their report. (At this point, I was so naive that I hadn't even looked over them myself before I passed them out to the students.) Anyway, this particular student had 67 errors per problem.....yep, SIXTY-SEVEN red boxes PER PROBLEM!! I wasn't sure that was even possible, but it really opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn't monitoring my students like I should have been!
There should NEVER be a student with 67 errors per problem....NEVER and the thought of this happening while I was in the lab with them was mortifying to me. A thousand questions flooded my mind. How could I not have noticed? What was this student doing? And most importantly, what did I need to do to insure this never happened again?
There are lots of reasons students could be making 67 errors per problem....
1. The student doesn't KNOW that getting a little red box "hurts" their progress in the tutor. If students don't know that making a mistake lowers their bars and requires them to do more problems, they may be fascinated by the red colors on their screen. Seriously, I have had a few students who have had EVERY BOX on their screen lit up in red when I walked by. And when I ask why, they just say "oh, it looks cool!" But once I explain the purpose of the red box, they quickly understand the detriment it is to their progress (and grade) if they do that again!
2. The student is COMPLETELY LOST. Some students may have no idea what they are doing on a problem and either don't know to use the interactive example or have used the interactive example to no avail. This is where good monitoring can help. If I am moving around the room like I should be, purposefully looking at their screens I will notice when someone is struggling. Sometimes the student just needs to hear an explanation from a real person. The key to helping students in the lab is to make sure that tutor knows they are receiving help. Make sure the student has either used the interactive example or the hint button at least once before you come to the rescue. Otherwise, the tutor thinks they know what they are doing right off (which isn't true).
3. The student is FRUSTRATED. This can be solved the same was as the student who is completely lost, except this student is more likely to get it the first time you step in. Or sometimes just suggesting that they use the interactive example will solve the problem. For some reason, they always forget that it's there.
4. The student is BORED. Yes, I know it's hard to believe that anyone would get bored working on the Cognitive Tutor, but occasionally we get a student with a short attention span, who, after 3-4 problems gets tired of doing the same thing and begins to "decorate" their screen in red. But again, if I am monitoring the way I should be a little redirection and encouragement usually brings this student back to the task at hand (even if I have to do it multiple times in one period).
5. The student DOESN'T CARE. This goes back to last week's post on students who just won't work. I'll quote "Jinjerale's" comment, "never back down on making them work, accept no excuses and take no prisoners"!! It is our job to motivate every student that walks in our doors, especially the ones who have never been motivated before.
All of these tips work the same for students who use the hint button way too often as well. The only problem is there isn't a red box to let you know that the student is struggling. You'll have to use your reports regularly and know who your "hint-addicts" are!! Be over their shoulder constantly making sure they are not using!!
I'll never forget the first time I was able to use the Cognitive Tutor with my students. I was so excited about getting to show them their detailed reports so they could see just what they had been doing over the last few times we had been in the lab. As I was explaining the different aspects of the report, I got to "Errors Per Problem" and one of my students raised their hand for me to come and look at their report. (At this point, I was so naive that I hadn't even looked over them myself before I passed them out to the students.) Anyway, this particular student had 67 errors per problem.....yep, SIXTY-SEVEN red boxes PER PROBLEM!! I wasn't sure that was even possible, but it really opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn't monitoring my students like I should have been!
There should NEVER be a student with 67 errors per problem....NEVER and the thought of this happening while I was in the lab with them was mortifying to me. A thousand questions flooded my mind. How could I not have noticed? What was this student doing? And most importantly, what did I need to do to insure this never happened again?
There are lots of reasons students could be making 67 errors per problem....
1. The student doesn't KNOW that getting a little red box "hurts" their progress in the tutor. If students don't know that making a mistake lowers their bars and requires them to do more problems, they may be fascinated by the red colors on their screen. Seriously, I have had a few students who have had EVERY BOX on their screen lit up in red when I walked by. And when I ask why, they just say "oh, it looks cool!" But once I explain the purpose of the red box, they quickly understand the detriment it is to their progress (and grade) if they do that again!
2. The student is COMPLETELY LOST. Some students may have no idea what they are doing on a problem and either don't know to use the interactive example or have used the interactive example to no avail. This is where good monitoring can help. If I am moving around the room like I should be, purposefully looking at their screens I will notice when someone is struggling. Sometimes the student just needs to hear an explanation from a real person. The key to helping students in the lab is to make sure that tutor knows they are receiving help. Make sure the student has either used the interactive example or the hint button at least once before you come to the rescue. Otherwise, the tutor thinks they know what they are doing right off (which isn't true).
3. The student is FRUSTRATED. This can be solved the same was as the student who is completely lost, except this student is more likely to get it the first time you step in. Or sometimes just suggesting that they use the interactive example will solve the problem. For some reason, they always forget that it's there.
4. The student is BORED. Yes, I know it's hard to believe that anyone would get bored working on the Cognitive Tutor, but occasionally we get a student with a short attention span, who, after 3-4 problems gets tired of doing the same thing and begins to "decorate" their screen in red. But again, if I am monitoring the way I should be a little redirection and encouragement usually brings this student back to the task at hand (even if I have to do it multiple times in one period).
5. The student DOESN'T CARE. This goes back to last week's post on students who just won't work. I'll quote "Jinjerale's" comment, "never back down on making them work, accept no excuses and take no prisoners"!! It is our job to motivate every student that walks in our doors, especially the ones who have never been motivated before.
All of these tips work the same for students who use the hint button way too often as well. The only problem is there isn't a red box to let you know that the student is struggling. You'll have to use your reports regularly and know who your "hint-addicts" are!! Be over their shoulder constantly making sure they are not using!!
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