June 2010

Teaches or Leeches at CUSD?

Posted By CotoBlogzz 05-15-2010 08:30 PM

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - In the first piece of a series, I made the argument that there is a need for a radical transformation in public education, as opposed to the continuous union bickering, such as the one going on in CUSD. While the next pieces are not ready for publication, the conclusion should include the imperative that the California Teacher’s (CTA) Union must be neutralized, if the state is to avoid a Greece-like environment on short order.

While acknowledging that the aforementioned argument may need additional support, I happened to listen to Doug Lemov attempt to sell his Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College book - Lenov’s book is featured as the cover and full length feature story in the March 7 issue of the New York Times Magazine - I am sold, and did not want to wait to extol Lenov's work's virtues.

The CTA fought paradigm shifter Jaime Escalante when he argued that he could teach advanced placement math in a class with more than 50 students, despite the overwhelming evidence siding with Escalante. Lemov thinks that Escalante was a super teacher and not a good model for the average instructor, arguing that his 49 techniques can be better scaled to fit the more mediocre instructor, instead of trying to convert every teacher into Escalante-like. “A few teachers may be born with an intuitive gift for teaching, but when I watch a great teacher I see mostly hard work and attention to detail,” said Lenov.

Lenov’s techniques are not revolutionary, not counterintuitive and more common sense. What makes his case is that he has shown his techniques to work whether in socio-economically disadvantaged schools or the more privileged ones. For over ten years, teacher, trainer and administrator Doug Lemov has observed hundreds of classrooms, analyzing outstanding teachers who have transformed at risk students into achievers. What he found was that there is a tool box for success, and they are techniques that can be learned and employed by any teacher.

As a result of Lemov’s Techniques, West Denver Prep students (93% who are qualified as low income) demonstrated the highest academic growth at any middle school in Denver for the third consecutive year in 2009, with median growth percentiles of 90% in Math, 85% in Writing, and 66% in Reading. Below are some examples of Lemov’s “champion” techniques:

Among Lenov’s techniques:

Technique #1: No Opt Out. How to move students from the blank stare or stubborn shrug to giving the right answer every time.

Technique #5: Without Apology. If teachers aren’t on guard, they can unwittingly apologize for teaching worthy content. Kids respond to challenges, so instead of apologizing, say: “lots of people don’t understand this until they get to college, but you’ll know it now. Cool.”

Technique #35: Do It Again. When students fail to successfully complete a basic task—from entering the classroom quietly to passing papers around—doing it again, doing it right, and doing it perfectly, results in the best consequences.

Technique #38: No Warnings. If you're angry with your students, it usually means you should be angry with yourself. This technique shows how to effectively address misbehaviors in your classroom.

Technique #22: Cold Call. In order to make engaged participation the expectation, call on students regardless of whether they have raised their hands. Cold calling is an engagement strategy, not a discipline strategy.

Technique #45: Warm/Strict. Teachers must be both: caring, funny, warm, concerned, and nurturing – and strict, by the book, relentless, and sometimes inflexible. Teachers send the message to students that having high expectations is part of caring for and respecting someone.

And as they say in the QVC commercial, but wait, there is more: While the CTA’s main agenda is political, rather than educational, other professionals such as Mr. Lenove are slowly attempting to get the nation beyond the CTA’s FDH (Fat Dumb and Happy):

For example:

Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom by Daniel T. Willingham

The book should help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn. It reveals-the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.
Nine principles with applications for the classroom
Includes findings, such as that intelligence is malleable, and that you cannot develop "thinking skills" without facts
How an understanding of the brain's workings can help teachers hone their teaching skill.

Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility by Eric Liu, Scott Noppe-Brandon, Lincoln Center Institute

The best corporations know that innovative thinking is the only competitive advantage that cannot be outsourced. The best schools are those that create cultures of imagination. No wonder then that the decisions that compromise our economy, and even our national security, are often blamed on the "failure of imagination." The book introduces a wide variety of individuals who have learned how to make a habit of imaginative thinking and creative action. It offers a set of universal practices that anyone can use to transform their life at work, home, and play.

Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

We like to say that if you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it. Driven by Data offers tips and general guidelines about data-based methods and the difficulties surrounding the implementation of data-driven instruction. The guidebook provides all the tools needed to launch data-driven instruction effectively, such as an implementation rubric, meeting agendas, calendars, assessment templates, and more. Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, has worked with over 1,000 schools across the nation. The book clearly shows how to maneuver through assessments and statistics.

Celebrating Every Learner : Activities and Strategies for Creating a Multiple Intelligences Classroom - by Thomas R. Hoerr, Sally Boggeman, Christine Wallach, The New City School

This book offers a practical guide to understanding how Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) can be used in the classroom. Gardner identified eight different types of intelligence: linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Celebrating Every Learner describes the characteristics of each type of intelligence and follows up with ready-to-use lesson plans and activities that teachers can use to incorporate MI in their pre-K through 6 classrooms.

Preparing Principals for a Changing World: Lessons From Effective School Leadership Program s- by Linda Darling-Hammond, Debra Meyerson, Michelle LaPointe, Margaret T. Orr

A hands-on resource for creating and implementing effective policies and programs for developing expert school leaders. The book examines the characteristics of successful educational leadership programs and offers concrete recommendations to improve programs nationwide.

In a study funded by the Wallace Foundation, Darling-Hammond and the team examined eight exemplary principal development programs, as well as state policies and principals' experiences across the country. Using the data from the study, they reveal how successful programs are structured, the skills and knowledge participants gain, and what they are able to do in practice as school leaders as a result.

What do these exemplary programs have in common? Aggressive recruitment; close ties with schools in the community; on-the-ground training under the wing of expert principals, and a strong emphasis on the cutting-edge theories of instructional and transformational leadership.

In addition to highlighting the programs' similarities, the study also explains the differences among the programs and sheds light on the effectiveness of approaches and models from different states and contexts East, West, North, and South; urban and rural; pre-service and in-service. The authors analyze program outcomes for principals and their schools, including illustrative case studies and educators' voices on the influence of programs' strategies for recruitment, internships, mentoring, and coursework.

The ideas and suggestions outlined in Preparing Principals for a Changing World are presented with the goal of increasing the number of highly qualified, thoughtful, and innovative educational leader

Teaching How to Learn in a What-to-Learn Culture - by Kathleen R. Hopkins

Practical ideas for teaching students the skills they need to really learn, answering such questions as "Can intelligence be developed? Do teacher expectations shape student learning? How can I make learning 'stick' for my students?" Drawing from theory and research in learning, this book offers clear, practical guidance along with inspirational ideas to show how teachers can enable students to gain both the cognitive competence and confidence needed to succeed academically.

Offers techniques for students to develop their reading, writing, and math abilities
Provides suggestions for helping students build perseverance and diligent work habits
Helps cultivate students' reasoning skills for problem solving
·Includes ideas for teachers to improve their students' verbal and written skills