February 16, 2017

   

Educational Excellence

Growth Mindsets

Last time you learned a little about fixed mindsets.  Now let’s learn about growth mindsets.  Growth mindsets is a “belief system that suggests that one’s intelligence can be grown or developed with persistence, effort, and a focus on learning.”  Learners with a growth mindset believe that they can learn just about anything.  While they might have some struggle and some failure they understand that with “effort and perseverance they can succeed”.   “An educator with a growth mindset believes that with effort and hard work from the learner, all students can demonstrate significant growth and therefore all students deserve opportunities for challenge. An effective teacher armed with instructional tools that differentiate, respond to learner’s needs, and nurture critical thinking process, and you have the recipe for optimum student learning. “   (Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci) 

This aligns to our core values:  We believe all students can learn in a safe, nurturing and engaging environment despite their circumstances.  We believe the development of critical skills along with character values are crucial to learning.  

Intentional Instruction

Google Lesson Plans

Are you wondering what the difference is between guided and collaborative learning? 

Collaborative Community

NHA: What If Students Don’t Reset?

I get this question a lot. Put them in a sleeper hold until they pass out. When they wake up recognize them for resetting so quietly. :) Obviously, I’m kidding.

Visualize a flow chart: If students break a rule, tell them to reset. If they reset appropriately and you say, “Restart” for the littles, welcome them back. If they don’t reset and you can still teach, energize the other students for their greatness, ignore the disruption, and wait it out as long as the other students are still learning. The whole class will benefit from realizing they can’t get attention from the class through misbehavior and that they are missing out on the class. HOWEVER, if a student is so disruptive that others are joining in and the problem is getting bigger, it’s time for a consequence. If you set clear rules about what you expect from students in reset, and they refuse, let the consequence play out (without ANY energy.) So what are your rules? What are the consequences for breaking said rules? If you follow this hypothetical yes/no flowchart with clear limits and consequences, you will successfully be following the 3rd stand: Clearly But Un-energetically Enforce Limits. Why do this? “Because I care enough about you to give you limits and boundaries...if I didn’t care, I’d let you do whatever you want...but I love you, and I want you to know that what you’re doing is not OK.” These are actual words you would hear out of my mouth with my own kids on any given day. Feel free to use them yourself.  :)

*Staff Shout Outs* 
If you would like to recognize a colleague for something outstanding, please send the information in an email to Hailey for the next published blog.  

A HUGE shout out goes to Mrs. Brown, Mr. Austin, and our Kuehnle Choir! After much anticipation and countless hours of preparation, the Kuehnle Choir performed the National Anthem at the Houston Rockets game on Saturday, February 11th.  They not only performed, but they ROCKED! The children and teachers' hard work really paid off. They were awesome!! 

February 1, 2017

   

Educational Excellence

Intentional Instruction

Top Ten FAQs about the Balanced Guided Math

1.      Is Guided Math research based?  Yes!  Bloom’s taxonomy, divergent thinking techniques, and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences are integrated.  Eric Jensen’s brain-based learning, Fountas & Pinnell’s guided reading group principles, and David Sousa’s brain-based research are theories that support the Guided Math Program.

2.      How do I group the students together?  A short assessment during Large Group mini-lesson time will give you the data to group the students together and decide which skills each group should work on.

3.      Will the guided math model help me challenge high achieving students?  Yes, this model allows the teacher to design lessons based on each student’s math level.  Teachers work with each group of leveled students 3 to 4 times a week on each math concept at that group’s developmental level.

4.      What accommodations does guided math incorporate for RTI students or students with IEPs?  Accommodations include: activities with manipulatives, pictorial representations for math understanding, small guided groups with direct instruction, appropriate pacing for each group, specific techniques to use with ELL students, constant preview of upcoming concepts for mastery of pre-skills, and consistent review of learned material for concept mastery.

5.      Does this model require more work than traditional large group math?   This model requires no extra work. It just requires that you retrain your thinking about how to teach math.

6.      Does this program for Guided Math require a lot of extra money?  No.  This model is framed to be used with the textbook series that your school purchases.  With a few manipulatives and some center ideas, you are equipped to begin tomorrow.

7.      How much time a day does Guided Math take each day?  On average, it takes 60 minutes each day.  The best advantage to this model is that the blocks of time can be broken apart; it does not need to be 60 consecutive minutes.  It can also vary between the days of the week. This flexibility makes this a more manageable program for teachers and schools. Angela shows districts that have 75-90 minutes of math time to maximize their Guided Math time.

8.      How loud do the students become during center time?   Simple. . . as loud as you allow.  Center time is a focused, short 15 minutes for students to practice a skill in a meaningful way.  It is a hands-on activity so students are engaged, not misbehaving.  It requires a short amount of time, which minimizes behavior issues.  Center time allows for movement to learn which engages all learners, even ADHD students.  Also, I alternate this application time between individual and collaborative activities the students complete, which can minimize the noise level.  Only 4-6 students are engaged at centers at one time, which also reduces the noise level.

9.      Do I have to be an experienced math teacher to implement the Guided Math ideas?  No. Any teacher, whether you are a first year teacher or a thirty year veteran, can implement these ideas to teach math.  This model is easy to understand and helps every teacher to understand the dynamics of mathematics, the fundamentals of teaching students to think mathematically, and strategies for maximum math mastery.  Every teacher that attends this workshop receives sample schedules, copies of recording sheets, and everything you need to get started.

10.   Does Guided Math require a lot of grading?  This program uses several ways to assess the students.  The preview skill pages have the answer keys provided for immediate feedback for students.  I assess students 3 days a week in guided groups through observations or simple quick assessments done on the spot and recorded.  The summative weekly skill assessment will need to be graded.  However, since smaller chunks of concepts are taught at a time, the assessments are short and quickly graded.

Collaborative Community

One of our core values is that “we believe in empowering 

students to recognize and celebrate greatness in themselves and their peers”.  Seeing our own greatness can be hard to learn or do.  This inability to really recognize our own greatness can come from having a fixed mindset.  According to Dr. Dweck, “a fixed mindset is a belief system that suggests that a person has a predetermined amount of intelligence, skills or talents”.  “For those students who struggle or do not perceive themselves as smart, it becomes a self-fulling prophecy.  Because they really don’t believe that the can be successful, they will often give up and not put forth the effort.  For advanced learners, they can become consumed with looking smart at all costs.” (Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci)

So what’s there to do?  It starts with us.  Think for a minute about your own mindset.  A mindset is a set of personal beliefs and is a way of thinking that influences our own behavior and attitude about our self and others.  “And educator’s mindset directly influences how a child feels about him or herself and how he or she views him or herself as a learner  A child’s mindset directly affects how he or she faces academic challenges  A child with a growth mindset perseveres even in the face of barriers.  A child with a fixed mindset gives up easily and does not engage in the learning process. “  (Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci) Another core value for Kuehnle is “we believe all children are special, unique, and capable of learning”.  How are we demonstrating that to our students?

Interested in learning more about fixed and growth mindsets?  Check out the book referenced above.  It’s a great read.  

*Staff Shout Outs* 
If you would like to recognize a colleague for something outstanding, please send the information in an email to Hailey for the next published blog.  

If you haven't seen what our PASS and Developmental staff do on a daily basis, you are missing out on some amazing work! These outstanding staff members work diligently to teach social skills, character, confidence, coping skills, life skills, and so much more to some of our most precious children! They deserve to be recognized for their daily efforts and all of the love they pour out into their students. Keep up the great work! 

January 25

   

Educational Excellence

“I tell them, ’show me that you’re challenging yourself to try something new.’”

We see so many exciting things going on in our classrooms on a daily basis. We see teachers taking risks and trying new things. We see students taking initiative and taking ownership of their learning. This article is a great way to remind us of all the things we are doing right, and what we can attempt to do more of in our classrooms.  This is definitely a must read. Click here for the full article.

Intentional Instruction

“Change is inevitable.  Growth is optional.”  John Maxwell  “…that sentiment is true.  We choose whether or not we will grow, change, or innovate.  But in schools, where we focus on our students as the future, growth can no longer be simply an option”  George Couros

Our staff core values state we believe the same as Mr. Couros.  Are you willing to change as we all move forward with guiding groups?  Guiding groups provides the teacher with the pathway for us to implement our desire to be student-centered during Tier 1 instruction.  Remember Dr. Nikki’s advice, start small but just start!

Collaborative Community

The Nurtured Heart Approach is our framework to responding to students' behaviors.  It is always a work in progress and we can always get better and stronger with using the approach.  Here is a reminder on how to capture those "Polaroid Moments." 

*Staff Shout Outs* 
If you would like to recognize a colleague for something outstanding, please send the information in an email to Hailey for the next published blog.  

Congratulations to Spring Payne! She will be an amazing administrator and Strack is blessed to have her. She will truly be missed here at Kuehnle, but we know Spring will take care of our students as they move on to intermediate school!

Happy New Year!

No Fear in the New Year 

".. no longer will I allow fear to cut off the flow of abundant and positive energy in my life. No longer will I allow fear to paralyze me. Instead of fear I would trust."

"You will always feel fear. Everyone will. But your trust must be bigger than your fear."

-Jon Gordon

Educational Excellence

Jamie and Michele shared such great information with us regarding small group teaching and how to make those groups effective.  I know many of you are interested in how to set up, manage, and maintain small groups for different content areas. Here is a great video to get you started. Managing a Math Workshop

**NOTE TO SELF: Please be mindful of your surroundings.  When you are near or in the front office, please be mindful of what you are saying and/or doing because there are always parents nearby.  When you are on lunch duty, parents are listening and watching.  When you are on social media outlets, please be aware that messages are seen and shared with others. This is not a place to "vent" about your job, students, school, etc.  As always, if you have a concern please feel free to discuss it with your admin team.  

Intentional Instruction

I don't know about you, but I love finding resources that help me work smarter, not harder.  As a teacher I often struggled writing my language objectives.  I never knew if they were written correctly or with the correct verbiage.  This document will take out the guessing game for you. Please view the tutorial below, pin this document to your desktop, and enjoy writing your language objectives this year! 

Interactive ELPS Tutorial 

ELPS - Interactive Language Objectives 

Our Multilingual Program is offering some great Professional Development sessions in the upcoming months. One of these sessions will focus on The Reading Strategies Book (K-5) by Jennifer Serravallo.  Isabel Tuliao and our language specialist, Richardo Coronado, will facilitate the training. They are familiar with our students, so it is tailored for Kuehnle!  You won’t be disappointed (Bonus: you get a free copy of the book too!) 

Collaborative Community

We will have an open DIDC meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 from 3:30 -4:30 p.m. at the KMPC to seek public input and feedback on the local innovation plan.  Please view the plan on Klein ISD’s website.  http://www.kleinisd.net/preview.aspx?name=supt.doi

Be sure to click on the actual proposed plan.

- Spring Payne, DIDC Representative

Please sign up for Kuehnle's remind class to receive quick, easy messages from your admin team.  Don't miss out on messages sent to the staff.   

Holy Mistletoe! Tomorrow is December!

Just For You

A Little Something

If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.
~ Fred Rodgers

If you could physically see what you left behind after every encounter, what would it look like? Would you see light? goodwill? encouragement? Would you have left behind something beautiful or significant? In today's world many of our meetings are online. We leave behind a tangible digital trail. What does yours look like? What have you left behind? Have you forged a trail with dignity, self-respect, kindness, purpose? Your words and actions remain long after you depart. Leave something of yourself that others will remember fondly. Teach your students to do the same.

Remember To Take Care Of Yourself

Modeling is good practice at any age, not just as in modeling good behavior for others, but modeling yourself after those you hold in high esteem. 

Educational Excellence

Our core values for Educational Excellence state that: 

• We believe learning is life-long

• We believe in giving our best each day

• We believe that all students can learn

• We believe in setting high expectations for all

So... now it is time to reward our students for continuing to strive for excellence.  You, in turn, should feel proud of the work ethic and confidence you have instilled in each of them.

  
**Click here to learn more from Julia about the upcoming awards.

Intentional Instruction

Please watch this video from Spring and Jeanne regarding the hour of code that will take place next week here at Kuehnle.  

You will need to access the following Google Doc and Sheet after watching the video: 

https://docs.google.com/a/kleinisd.net/document/d/1oOVbZXi-BiVw4WPD8WRlvYGuchkpPmQh3DWSdPXSWrk/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/a/kleinisd.net/spreadsheets/d/1uZKbgExiruAS3lxuSm994qwj9dovvQ9KzGnqcay6ONU/edit?usp=sharing

Collaborative Community

In order to have truly effective teams that work together to ensure student success, we must be able to continuously move past conflict and respect one another.  The following article is a very good read. Enjoy!

http://www.allthingsplc.info/blog/view/315/dealing-with-conflict-on-collaborative-teams


Last, but MOST important ...
Join us on this padlet to lift up your colleagues! 

Week 13 "Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success."

Just For You

To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

~ Buddha

When time is a commodity and it feels like there just isn't enough of you to go around, the first thing we often let slide is our self-care. Not enough time? We stop exercising and sleep less! No time for meal preparation? We eat more fast food! Before long these quick fixes contribute to feeling lousy both inside and out. Taking care of ourselves is a long-term investment that reaches far beyond this moment. It might not be as convenient, but when we are strong-bodied and clear minded, everyone benefits, including the young people we teach each day. 

Educational Excellence

What Makes a Teacher Effective?

There's little mystery as to what makes one teacher more effective than another. After reviewing hundreds of meta-analyses on teaching effects, John Hattie (2009) concluded that "the current mantra, that teachers make the difference, is misleading" because "not all teachers have powerful effects on students"; indeed, he notes that "it is teachers' variability in effect and impact that is critical". Hattie concludes that "it is teachers using particular teaching methods, teachers with high expectations for all students, and teachers who have created positive student–teacher relationships that are more likely to have the above average effects on student achievement". Decades of research suggest that the following teacher behaviors, which serve as the touchstones for this chapter, distinguish highly effective teachers:

·         Highly effective teachers challenge their students. Good teachers not only have high expectations for all students but also challenge them, providing instruction that develops higher-order thinking skills.

·         Highly effective teachers create positive classroom environments. One of the strongest correlates of effective teaching is the strength of relationships teachers develop with students.

·         Highly effective teachers are intentional about their teaching. Good teachers are clear about what they're trying to teach and then master a broad repertoire of instructional strategies to help students accomplish their learning goals. They know not only what to do to support student learning but how, when, and why to do it.

Intentional Instruction

Kuehnle Core Value: We believe that students learn best when teachers establish clearly defined learning objectives and expectations, utilize research-based instructional strategies, continually assess programs and adjust strategies based on assessment. 

Collaborative Community

Kuehnle Core Value: We believe in working collaboratively with colleagues, students, and parents; sharing ideas and respecting other's opinions to achieve our common goals. 

Kudos to the 2^nd grade team for their Collaborative Community! They are having productive, reflective, and purposeful conversations in PLCs and weekly planning that impact instruction and student learning.  (J. Drew)

Week 10 "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell when his influence stops." – Henry Adams

Can you believe we are nearing the end of the 1st nine weeks of school already?! We have accomplished so much in such a short period of time! Look out 2nd nine weeks...here we come!! 

Educational Excellence

T-TESS Refresher

As we move into scheduling T-TESS pre-observation conferences, observations, and post-conferences, below are some points to remember about each phase.

The purpose of T-TESS – it’s a process designed to support continued growth and development. With T-TESS, it’s okay to be where you are; it’s not okay to stay there.

Pre-Conferences

·         T-TESS centers on conferences that reveal the appraisee’s thinking. Why is the teacher doing what he or she does? Upon what are their decisions and actions based? Are students responding as the teacher planned when designing the lesson(s)? •

·         For pre-conferences, the ultimate goal is to better understand how a teacher plans, not just what a single lesson plan entails. • Pre-conferences are an opportunity to focus on planning – how does a teacher make scaffolding decisions, grouping decisions, decisions about activities? How well does a teacher know his or her students? How does that teacher translate that knowledge into planning?

T-TESS Rubric

·         The T-TESS rubric has a lot of “echo” in it, and evidence can map to multiple spots on the rubric. That’s not an accident – the teacher steering committee that built the rubric wanted it to be more holistic than previous rubrics and to reinforce that many practices bleed into each other.

•     The success of a single activity is dependent on several integrated practices within planning, instruction, and classroom environment. A breakdown in any one area can lead to breakdowns in several others.

·         This makes mapping evidence to the rubric more challenging, but it also provides great fuel for conversations.

Pre-conferences and post-conferences are opportunities to figure out what the root causes of both successes and struggles were so that reinforcement and refinement decisions are more accurate and valuable for teachers.

Intentional Instruction

We want to recognize Kinder for demonstrating the following Kuehnle Core Value when working with Jaime Drew on creating a meaningful assessment and rubric for their students.

• We believe that educators should be flexible and have the courage to change course when needed with a student-centered philosophy.  

Visible Learning 
You have heard us mention Visible Learning and John Hattie's work.  You may have heard that we even sent a few teachers to hear him speak.  If you are wondering what the fuss is all about and why you should be interested in Visible Learning, then click here to read this brief article.

Collaborative Community

Same Box Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb There's a reason sports analogies are often used when discussing the workplace. One reason is because you are very much part of a team, the educators' team — a selfless group that works long and hard to ensure the success of their students and of future generations. Being a member of this team means you work well with your fellow teammates for a common goal, one that understands the importance of turning out responsible and caring members of society. At the end of the day, we all go back out into the same world. You can be proud that your team is making the world a better place to live.

With something to think about . . . 

V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N. 
Visit another classroom and talk it over nicely! 

We have so many great teachers on campus that we can learn from.  If you know a teacher who implements Daily 5 seamlessly, uses NHA effectively, teaches a concept that you struggle with well, or anything else you can think of, take some time to observe them.  You can schedule a time with the teacher you want to observe so you are sure you are visiting during a time you will see what you are looking for.  Planning would be the ideal time, but if the observation is going to be meaningful, help increase student success in your classroom, and/or assist you with your T-TESS goal then we can help with providing coverage.  This is a perfect opportunity to learn from our peers, so take advantage of it!

Let's Celebrate The Latest Kuehnle All-Star Megaphone Recipients: 

Deanna Brewer

Judy Carroll

Keri Lenard

Nancy Wood

Hailey Haynes

Daria Clark

Bethany Iselt