Learning Partner Conversation:

Science 8

• • Used new retake process (see notes below)
  • Really good process happening-mini prototypes of prototypes; lots of testing and revising
  • 4 weeks is not enough time to finish; need to add time from somewhere else this year; 6 weeks would be much better

Science 7

• • Started new unit–cells/chemistry combined
  • Kids set up driving question board  by themselves–asked questions, shared, categorized, posted for class review, identified DQ and sub-questions together (see image below)

ETC

• • How will we get 8th grade finished?
  • Do we want all students to create a product?  Services are difficult to follow-up.

Next Steps:

• Share DQB process with other faculty; different ways

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Driving Question Board

Learning Partner Conversation:

8th Grade

• EQ Project in process; worried a little bit about time
• Assessment retake process opportunity on Thursday

7th Grade

• Finishing up energy unit
• Do I want to connect cells to genetics?
• Are there cell simulations online that work?
• If I do cells, I need to order supplies
• 7th grade boys acting out a little

ETC

• We need to scaffold aspects of the Entrepreneur Fair-market research
• Challenges scenarios–What to do if I get stuck?  What do I do if my partner is not here?  Etc
• So difficult to scaffold experiences for kids when they are all doing something different.  What should scaffold?
• Would it be valuable to have a day, now and then, in ETC, where we do something different–physical activity, team building, trip to store to look at products, clips from Shark Tank, read autobiographical or biographical of entrepreneurs, TED Talks?

Next Steps:

•  Reach out to ETC experts to coach next steps–What do we want to message to them?
  • This is where the kids are at
  • Students will share parts of their business plan
  • Students will share their challenges
  • Students share next steps
• Prep kids for this meeting 2/21

Reflection

I used the new retake process with 8th graders.  The conferring part of the process has been so valuable.  It really gave me a lot of information about study habits, test anxiety and mistakes made.  This meeting requires that students take ownership of their learning, self assess and explain their thinking and learning.   Note:  I did lump the reflection into the first meeting instead of having it on Google Classroom as I did when I did this with the 7th graders.  I like incorporating the reflection right into the meeting.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

None

Learning Partner Conversation:

7th Grade:

• • Test performance was not what I expected (see reflection below).

8th Grade:

• • Starting EQ project next week

Reflection

New Test Retake Process

• The 7th graders took a summative assessment this week and did not do as well as I had expected.  The highest score was an 82%.  I wondered what I could have done differently.  Students had demonstrated time and time again that they understood the content in class.  What had gone wrong on the test?  After some reflection, I realized that the “problem” was four-fold–some kids needed more feedback from me or one-on-one time to ensure they really understood the content, some rushed through the test, some missed important details on the test, and some simply did not study or did not study well.  I’ve addressed test retakes/corrections in two ways in the past.  For awhile, I let kids make corrections on the test for half credit back.  I found this method was too easy.  Kids simply made corrections using their notes and handed it back in.  Over time, I found that students would simply think “I don’t have to study…I can just make corrections.”  In response to this, I decided I would allow corrections/redos/revisions/multiple iterations on formative work and assessments and not on summative assessments (unless someone earned a Not Yet on the summative).  The struggle became that I wanted kids to have the chance to demonstrate learning and meet the academic expectations but I also wanted them to develop a sense of responsibility around studying.  Neither of my methods were achieve exactly what I wanted–a chance to meet the expectations and development of strong student skills around studying.   This week I tried something different.  I implemented a “retake process” that included the following:
  • Students had to complete a reflection around their performance and study habits
  • Students had to complete corrections (using specific criteria) on all mistakes they made
  • Students had to schedule a meeting outside of class to meet with me to go over the corrections, identify a focus for the retake and  schedule a time (outside of class) to complete the retake
  • Students retake a portion of the assessment for full credit back

Students responded in surprising ways when confronted with this process.  Some kids jumped to action and began to work through the process, others pushed back.  In fact, three students (those with Not Yets) cried.  Those that cried did not want to do everything required to improve their “grade”.   One student exclaimed, “why can’t I just do corrections”.  This spoke volumes…some kids didn’t want to have to work hard to learn  or improve.  Others, didn’t necessarily like the process but accepted it and appreciated the opportunity to improve their understanding.

Do I want to cap the grade they can earn after the retake?  Or, do I give them full credit back.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

None

Learning Partner Conversation:

8th

• Finishing up genetics unit, fruit fly scientific argument and final test
• Will do a brief few lessons on Why variation matters?
• Moving next to Earth Science
• Contacted Rob G. at UWM; second week on March for EQ project testing

7th

• Finishing up lab reports for kinetic energy experiments

ETC

• Going very well
• Noah and I are happy with first six lessons; the kids are engaged and the lessons “felt” good
• 8 business owners are coming Friday to collaborate with kids

Offer challenges for students related to Physics, etc?

Next steps:

1.  Guest blog for ETC and Entrepreneur Fair

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

ETC was a success.  Feedback from adults and kids was positive.  Sarah S. said the event felt very worthwhile and valuable from her perspective.  Will get more feedback from kids next week.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

None

Learning Partner Conversation:

Discussed 7th and 8th grade classes:

7th

• Started Energy Unit
• Students are really excited about KE experiments
• Some were struggling to work through a complex question related to their experiment-How are you going to measure KE?
• Will self-assess after their experiments
• How should they flag there experiments as evidence?  Print and put in binder?  Post-It in binder somewhere else?

8th

• Finishing up Greg and Olga Case Study
• Lots of really deep, wonderful questions and conversations
• Self assess after
• Move on to Fruit Fly Case Study

Next Steps:

1.  Modify goals-Add one about conferring
2.  Don’t forget about the blogs
3.  Email Rob Graziano about EQ project and blogging

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

I need to modify my goals.  My focus this year has been on having students use single point rubrics and I can statements to self assess.  The next part of this is to work on the conferring part of this process.

Goal addendum:

3.  Develop “I can…” statements for units

4.  Develop a “protocol” for conferring with students after they have self assessed using a single point rubric.

I sent an email to Rob Graziano.  I’m hoping he can assemble a group of professors/grad students to give kids feedback using the blogs throughout the design process.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

None

Learning Partner Conversation:

Notes:

• Continue conferring with kids following self assessment; look for better things for other kids to do
• Are JS  teachers using single point rubric?
• How do we move parents from grades to skills?
• What if students share self assessments with one another?  What if they give feedback?  Could I give kids prompting questions?  Or, could kids generate their own questions?  This might deepen the reflection.  Maybe a Curiosity Quest, What are you interested in the world?  Wonder Time.  Explore the World of Science.

Next Steps:

1.  Follow up with Sara re schools using single point rubric
2. Ask Noah, Linsey what kids are doing while they confer?

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

Thoughts:

• Students have responded well to reflecting using a single point rubric
• Providing models is important
• Conferring was tricky; it takes a lot of time; what should other students be doing
• Sometimes it was difficult finding multiple opportunities for students to self-assess on an individual “I can…” statement
• Preparing for conferences took a lot more time
• We can’t schedule PL the week before conferences

Unconventional Teaching Practices

The assessment team meeting this month fit perfectly into what I have been working regarding single point rubrics and “I can…” statements.  This article above is a great resource for one way to approach assessment, grading and conferences.  It provided one way to look at the assessment process throughout the semester and well as right before conferences.

For second quarter, I want to…

1.  Have kids mark evidence with Post-Its throughout the quarter
2.  Look for more opportunities to assess an individual “I can…” statement throughout the quarter
3.  Be more intentional about providing written feedback to students on their self-assessments along the way
4. Create some kind of structure for conferring
5. Make sure I am referring to the “I can…” statements often

Conferring

• Noah is also struggling with the time it takes to confer with kids; he suggested maybe partnering up with another class and pulling kids if it makes senses
• Michelle and Linsey often have writing or reading kids can be working on independently so have less of an issue; however, said conferring takes days

Ed Blumenthal came to speak to 8th graders.  The kids responded well and had lots of questions.

Michelle and I reached out to Port Washington High School.  They are further ahead in the standards-based grading process.  We are trying to schedule a visit for 12/10.

Sara mentioned a school in Illinois (Northbrook, I think) that is using standards based science.  I’d like to visit.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Student Sample Single Point Rubric #1

Student Sample Single Point Rubric #2

Learning Partner Conversation:

Looked at the modified Student Self Assessment

Student Self Assessment Conferring-Have students bring evidence (binder); my feedback will happen during the conferring; add my notes to the rubric if necessary.

Next Steps:

1.  Share modified self-assessment rubric with Sara; ask her to plan for work in this area

2.  Follow up with LS teachers re Discovery World

3.  Contact Ed Blumenthal

4.  Talk to Noah and Michelle about reaching outside of MJDS for single point rubric/assessment support

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

I found the teacher feedback section to be redundant.  I was simply saying what the students had already stated.  Therefore, removed this from the rubric.  I will use the conferring time to provide feedback and add notes in a different color on the rubric if a large discrepancy exists between what the student reports and what I have witnessed.

Conferring with kids following them filling out the rubric is such an critical step in this process.  However, it is really easy to skip.  It takes time.  It stops the flow a bit.  What kinds of things can the other kids be doing while I’m conferring with individual students?

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

none

Learning Partner Conversation:

Discussed…

• Single Point rubric (see reflection from last time)
• Units in 7th and 8th grade

Next steps:

• Reach out to Lizzie
• Reach out to Ed Blumenthal
• Try to connect to teachers outside of MJDS to support use of single-point rubric and general science topics
• Talk to Noah and Michelle about reaching out outside of MJDS

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

I decided to try a modified student self-assessment.

Is it important that teacher’s provide feedback on the self-assessment.  It seems repetitive and I found it difficult to fill out when kids are still practicing a skill.  Is feedback on the self-assessment enough for kids?  Does pushing their thinking in that way provide enough feedback?

Conferring-Have students bring evidence.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Modified Self-Assessment Examples

Student Self Assessment Example #1

Student Self-Assessment Example #2

Learning Partner Conversation:

Use blog to connect students to Stanford FabLab for soap boat challenge.

Egg Drop challenge is done in many schools around the year.  Could we pair up?

Blogs as portfolios:

• this is something you can share in high school
• use for student led conferences
• document growth and learning

Offer choices to students:

• Pick some topic we are working on, choose evidence
• Must do 2-3 times per year; times of your choice

Do 7th graders need more structure?  Start with structure and then gradually release responsibility to them and offer voice and choice.

I think this might be a great thing to put it on the blog, what do you think?  I might not always follow what they want but at least they were heard.

Next Steps:

• Think about connections I can make in the community (blog).
• Talk to other 7th/8th grade teachers about how they are having the students use the blogs.
• Use the single point rubric in class
• Talk to other teachers about single point rubrics for self assessment

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

Blogs

• Do student blogs need to look the same?  Should some evidence be required?  How much choice do we give students?  When does it make sense or not to use the blogs?
• Blog format is not always user friendly.
• Look for ways to connect outside of MJDS–UWM, other schools
• How do I want 7th grade to use the blogs when they design an experiment?

Single Point Rubric Braindump

• I tried using this with the Egg Drop Challenge and the Soap Boat Challenge.  Students identified strengths and challenges related to each standard.  They struggled to identify evidence and often added more reflection in that section of the rubric.  I found when I filled out my section, I wanted to give feedback in the form of questions instead of commented on the standard.  Why can’t I do both?
• Time to confer presents an issue–What should students be doing while I’m conferring with each of them?  How do I keep it from being busy work?
• Do I want to add an Met expectation, Approaching expectation and not yet to the rubric?
• Do I want to separate the reflection into strengths and challenges instead of teacher and student and then document my comments below students in a different color?
• This was not an appropriate time to use the rubric as the goal was not to focus in on any one of these skills (no mini-lessons, collection of work, etc).  Instead, this was used as a beginning of the year activity to get kids thinking and doing.
• I met with Noah and Michelle multiple times to discuss format and implementation of the rubric.  We are all still figuring this out.  This process is really messy and time consuming.
• Students don’t always have the language they need to reflect deeply and appropriately.  Do they need a four point rubric describing each level of functioning (a lot to create and then for students to look at)?  Can I create general priority standards and use the sub-standards as evidence of things they are doing well or not doing well?
• Unlike ELA or Math, there are not always opportunities to practice some of the skills.  For example, if they are working through an engineering challenge, they brainstorm once and then move on.  Where can I create opportunities for them to go back and add to their thinking and planning (design plan, prototype building)?  Would a daily blog post help here?  I also need to be explicit with the kids that these are the skills they are being “graded” on so they take them more seriously.
• Commenting on all the standards may not be feasible.  Can I comment on the priority standard and use a checklist for the standards that support that priority standard?
• Could students highlight evidence of standards in their work?
• I need to be specific about what each standard means.  For example, what does good brainstorming look like?

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Student Self Assessment Example #1

Student Self Assessment Example #2

Student Self Assessment Example #3 (from last year)

• Trying single point rubric to assess 8th grade infographics
• Draft of Reporting Template in 7th grade

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

Single Point Rubric

• Tried single point rubric in 7th grade.
• Need to make sure to show students a model
• How can I make conferring more streamlined?  This takes a lot of time.
• Some students struggled with what to say.  Can I use strong student models along the way?
• Do I need to comment on all the standards?

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Student Self Assessment Example

Learning Partner Conversation:

Science 8

• • Working on motion infographics as part of summative assessment
  • Part two of the summative assessment is a short test
  • When students return from Israel-FablLab boat challenge and pop your top

Science 7

• • Making soap as part of chemical reaction unit
  • What will I do after this unit?

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

None

Learning Partner Conversation:

Blogging Survey

1.  Choice seems to be a factor
2.  Assessment is a factor
3.  Change in behavior will take time
4.   Kids need to see tangible results

How do kids document their lives on Instagram and Snapchat?  They love it.  Is it the choice?  Is it the audience?

Have students select pieces to reflect upon and reflection prompts.

Next Steps:

1.  Work with 8th graders (like a pilot group)–explore other options with them–How can we use the blogs in a way that you like?  What one or two things can we try?  What did you like?  Dislike?  How could we modify/tweak it?  Was this a good way to document and reflect upon your thinking and learning?
2.  Share survey results with Sara

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

I believe we really need to take a step back and look at how we want to the students to use the blogs in a way that is meaningful to them.  It would be great if we started summer inservice revisiting the blogs and discussing ways in which  they can be used more effectively so that teachers can begin the year facilitating those practices in their classrooms.  Frankly, I’m not sold on the blogs as a platform for showcasing student learning.  During the earthquake project students documented and reflected upon their learning in a composition notebook.  I got so much more of their thinking and process using this format.  And, the students reported they liked a simple notebook much better than the blogs.  They seem to like the ability to more easily manipulate and organize a physical notebook using colored pens, post-its, sketching, pasting in pictures, etc.  How do we get kids to buy in?  Is it necessary that they blog to document if they prefer another way of documentation?  Is what they are reporting simply based upon their feelings about something that is novel?  How do the lower school students feel about the blogs?

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Summary of Thoughts/Ideas from Survey and Follow Up Discussion w/7th and 8th Graders

• Don’t like reflection prompts only; give choice!!!
• Blogging overdone and losing meaning
• Video and talking on blog instead of writing
• Choose something to blog about this week
• Less often and more choice; not always the same questions
• Give time in class; spend less time on it when it is homework
• Comments by others (other than teacher) don’t seem meaningful
• Talked about portfolio–17/18 would prefer a physical portfolio vs digital
• Instead of reading time–blogging time
• Want privacy; don’t like that its public
• Liked the EQ journals more than the blog
• Reflections in the form of discussions/talks more valuable to students!!
• Some wanted finished product out their not process
• I won’t look back on my blog
• Seems repetitive—we reflect in class then have to do it again in the blog
• Is this about us?  Or, MJDS?
• Difficult to ping pong between working on project and documenting
• No one reads them but teachers anyway

! = many students responded in this way

Learning Partner Conversation:

I need to ask students about reflection and blogging–1) set up survey, 2) follow-up discussion, 3) show examples, 4) connect to real life.   Possible questions:

1.  What is valuable about documentation and reflection?
2.   What is difficult about it?
3.   What makes you reflect deeply with lots of detail and thoughtfulness?
4.   What makes you reflect with less detail?

More questions???

All of this screams PORTFOLIO–collect work, reflect, defend learning with supporting evidence.  Should I start a science portfolio next year?  Should I have outside people comment on their blogs?  Can kids write about how they met various PEs, skills, content knowledge?  Yes, to all.

What am I going to do next year to get buy in from kids re reflection and blogging?  This will require my focus and attention early on.

PBL with outside groups would be something to head toward.

Next Steps:

1.  Talk to Jill about students videoing reflections.
2.  Create a survey and talk to students about how they feel about reflecting in blogs and what would make them buy-in.

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

How valuable are the blogs for documentation and reflection really?  How can we use it differently such that it is more meaningful to students?  Would presenting the blog as a portfolio help?  Would students prefer a physical portfolio of their work?  Should we offer students options?  Why are students resistant to documentation and reflection on the blogs but not in other ways?   Should we encourage use of the blogs if students don’t like them?  What about a program more like the one Yuliya was trying?

I need to do a follow-up conversation with the kids.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Summary of Student Blog Survey

• Who can I reach out to to help me help students use the blogs document the process?  Who are these teachers?
• How can students document as they go such that it doesn’t take away from the “flow” of the process?
• Students video themselves as a way to document and reflect.  Is this worth it?  What  are the advantages or disadvantages?
• Is there a way to get kids to agree when someone is a scribe?  Does this take someone out of the conversation?
• What is more important–reflection or documentation?  I don’t want them to document just to say they did at the expense of deep reflection as kids tend to reflect more deeply aloud during the process and less so in writing after the fact.

Action Step:

1.  Ask the kids what they think about documenting on the blog?  What can we do differently?  What would work?

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

In class, student reflections (aloud with their partner) on the design of their racers were deep and rich.  Students used scientific language and thinking and ideas.  I had students post images of each iteration of their racer on their blogs with accompanying reflection questions and was disappointed that their posts did not reflect the same kind of thinking.  How do we get kids to buy in?  If the blogs were a student portfolio and students had to self assess (and defend) their learning using those portfolios would they buy in?   What can I do at the beginning of next year to help this buy in?

I spoke briefly to Jill about student blogging.  She reported that her kids hadn’t been blogging as much this year but would love to discuss further at some point.  I still need to discuss this with students to get their feedback.

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Student Blog Examples

Student Sample #1

Student Sample #2

Student Sample #3

• Could the STEM teams work together?  Do I let this happen organically?  Or, do I facilitate this?
• Could I have students that resist reflecting in writing video it audio it?  There is a balance.  These students also need to learn to express their thinking in writing.  What is the balance between differentiation and knowing what’s good for students
• EQ Project started

Next Steps:

• What am I going to change in the Spool Racer Challenge for next year?  What do the kids think?

Reflection:  (need prompts?)

I’m getting better at finding opportunities for the students to use the blog.  For example, having students post images of the iterations of their prototypes with accompanying reflection questions makes sense to me.  Reflecting on collaboration and working with a team makes sense.  Where I still struggle is the documentation of the parts in between.  Perhaps, I need to create a template that students follow (like Sara) does and see how that works.

I did not have the students identify variables as I had planned.  The goal of this activity is related to engineering design and scientific practices.  So, I’m not sure it is necessary to keep the variables piece at this point and plan to remove this piece for next year.

How do I get kids to buy in to blogging and reflecting deeply?  I know this takes time

Explicit Examples in Student Work (when applicable):

Learning Partner Conversation:

7th Grade:

• Finishing up elastic energy and then race car STEM challenge
• Do I need to shorten the energy unit?  Which lessons do I want to keep?  Skip?
• Would it be worth it to collaborate with Yuliya and so something with electrical energy (Makey Makey is like Scratch)?  Some other place in the curriculum?

8th Grade:

• Working on models of plate tectonics
• Soon moving to EQ project
• How can I be intentional about blogging, reflection, and visible thinking for the EQ project?

ETC:

• Seeing positive things-students using language like “documentation”, “reflection”; students giving valuable feedback by asking lots of really great questions

Next Steps:

1.  Race car challenge-Design the steps/reflection for the challenge;  and documentation/reflection opportunities on blog
2. EQ Project-At what points in the process does it make sense for students to document and reflect on the blog?