The Use of Scaffolds for Teaching Higher-Level Cognitive Strategies Article Summary

In the article The Use of Scaffolds for Teaching Higher-Level Cognitive Strategies, Barak Rosenshine and Carla Meiser list many documented ways scaffolding has been successfully implemented in classrooms, which yielded higher order thinking and processing skills by the students. Furthermore, these strategies once implemented, take no more time than without because learners need less scaffolding once he or she understands the material at a higher level. The scaffolds "bridge the gap between their current abilities and the intended goal".

At Castleberry High School, we strive to fill each lesson with higher level learning that is student centered. According to Rosenshine and Meiser, "scaffolds can be applied to the teaching of all skills, they are particularly useful, and often indispensable, for teaching higher-level cognitive strategies, where many of the steps or procedures necessary to carry out these strategies cannot be specified". These strategies include: models, concrete prompts, think-alouds, simplified problems, suggestions and hints; each can be used generously at first and less as students are capable of leading their learning through higher order thinking.

My five takeaways from the article:
1.) Reciprocal teaching- student lead which shifts responsibility of learning to students and away from teachers.
2.) Think-alouds- teacher explains his or her thought process as he or she gives students examples of the problems and steps.
3.) Concrete prompts- basically question stems made for students. Allows the student with an established procedure to start the thinking process.
4.) Keep the scaffolding within the students' "zone of proximal development". Students cannot learn AP Physics no matter how much scaffolding, unless they first have the sufficient background ability learned in other Science classes.
5.) If we do not implement scaffolds, our instruction at CHS is inadequately preparing students for college or post-high school learning.

Please take time to post your five takeaways from the article, and then comment on my post and one from a peer. (3 total posts)

My first ed chat...

I'm excited to share ed chat with you. Yesterday, Castleberry ISD leadership participated in our first ed chat. The Twitter chat can be followed on Mondays at 3:30 CST using #cisdedchat. We discussed the following, my answers to each question are below the question:

Q1: Share with us your favorite quote about leadership.
A1: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader". John Quincy Adams

Q2:What is the ONE technology tool/resource that you have discovered that you want used in your classrooms and why?
A2: I'd like students to use various web 2.0 tools in context with learning. The students are comfortable if done regularly.

Q3: How will you get staff to engaged in building their PLN to facilitate blended learning in the classroom?
A3: Share our PLN's with them. They will do what we do, not what we tell them to do.

Q4: What skills do digital-age leaders need to possess or acquire?
A4: Visionary Leadership.. look beyond what we are doing in schools right now.

Q5: Share the link to your blog with the group.
A5: digitalhighschool.blogspot.com 

Q6: please share your thoughts about the chat
A6: Thoughts: I liked the discussion. We covered a lot of info in a short amount of time.

Again, please plan on joining in on our chat next Monday at 3:30 pm CST.

College Road Trip

I have two sons entering their senior year of high school this Fall, so we've spent the past week touring colleges. The trip took me across five states in eight days. If you've ever toured a campus you know that having walking shoes on is a must; we probably walked over 15 miles total. My wife and sons were sore and we were all glad the trip was over. I'm not sure we found the college for them, but we did omit many that aren't the right fit.

What surprised me the most was the lack of technology I saw at these prestigious universities. I fully expected to gain many new insights, see cutting edge technology, bring back these ideas to my campus; however, besides computer labs with wireless printing anywhere on campus, nothing I saw was more advanced than what we have at Castleberry ISD. In fact, the technology we are using in the high school classrooms is in many ways more advanced than that of the classrooms at the college level. I am sure the labs at the college level utilize more technology, but the regular classrooms mirror our classrooms before we infused technology many years ago.

Classroom Behavior Management

This week I have dealt with a few minor classroom behavior issues. When this happens, I like to address the underlying student issues, but I also make it a point to review classroom procedures implemented by the teacher.

The following four components make-up the classroom behavior management approach:

Classroom Organization
  Students need and expect routine. An organized classroom also allows the teacher to transition seamlessly between activities.

Self Management
   Teaching students to manage themselves not only helps in the classroom, but also prepares him for life outside of school.

Social Development
  Developing appropriate relationships with peers, teachers, and others is important. Sought by employers, social competency is a primary commodity in the American workforce.

Effective Instruction
   Over all other components of classroom behavior management, effective instruction is the crux to creating an learning environment free of behavior interruptions. Included in this area: wait-time, appropriate feedback, scaffolded instruction, and organized lesson plans.


Reference:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/form143/index.html

Educational Technology Standards

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards

for Administrators

 

The five ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators challenge educational leaders to grow in the use of effective technology. As I read over the five domains (Visionary Leadership, Digital-Age Learning Culture, Excellence in Professional Practice, Systemic Improvement, and Digital Citizenship) I feel I have many areas I can improve in.

Following standards allows me to measure growth; I can adjust my reading, PLNs, and development in areas of greatest weakness. Without standards, it would be hard to know if I'm focusing my efforts where they are needed most.

The domains in which I am most proficient are Digital-Age Learning Culture and Digital Citizenship. I am slightly knowledgeable in Visionary Leadership and Excellence in Professional Practice; a little work would allow me to be proficient here. I need to focus on Systemic Improvement during my daily professional development; you can expect to read about what I am learning in this area in the future.

Rethinking Learning Spaces... the focus of my PD this week.

Rethinking Learning Spaces

This week I have studied alternative learning spaces, one of the seven pillars of Digital Leadership by Eric Sheninger. I'm amazed at how similar most of today's high school classes look compared to those at the turn of the 20th century. See images (a) and (b) below. 

Schools should foster creativity and learning. Simply putting smart boards at the front of classes and giving laptops to students is not enough; we must rethink the environment in which students learn. I often hear leaders at the school district I work at say, "Do what is best for our kids", and that is precisely why the old way is not good enough any more.

Image (a) A turn of the 20th century classroom

Image (b) - A current classroom

While studying this week, I've found many innovative designs for school, none more jaw dropping than Orestad High School in Copenhagen, Denmark. See images (c-e) below. 

Image (c) - the outside of the Orestad High School

Image (d) - The foyer, stair case and student lounges at Orestad

Image (e) - Orestad student lounge area

Rethinking the learning spaces, it's time to change!

Educational Leadership: What do we believe?

I came across an insightful article today during my daily professional development. I'd like to share a portion of it here. I underlined the parts I found most beneficial.

The full article is called What do we believe? The author is Joanne Rooney, a lifelong educator.

______


I have also found that reflection on questions such as these helps distinguish essential from ordinary priorities:

• What is our work? Writing a vision statement to hang in the hall or deciphering what the superintendent wants us to do differs dramatically from discovering the passion that resides deeply in our hearts and minds. It must be about kids.
• Does our school's culture reflect this passion? Does "the way we do things around here" reflect our beliefs about kids, teaching, and caring? Learning finds a hostile home in a toxic culture.
• Have we found a context for psychometric data? Currently, test scores often substitute for learning, and the obsession with upgrading test scores defines leadership. It is outrageous that so many hold in high esteem only that which can be measured. We must keep in mind the famous words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's little prince—"That which is essential is invisible to the eye"—and articulate this truth as often as we say "test scores."
• Is our leadership embedded in relationships? Principals are effective not because of positional power, but because of the synergy that flows from positive relationships between the principal and teachers—and among the teachers themselves.
• Are "teachers as professionals" and "teacher leadership" more than buzzwords? Leaders must clearly express—and back up—the expectation that adult learning is crucial to professionalism. And as they show increased acceptance of teachers in leadership roles, principals must trust teachers' decisions, even when they diverge from the principal's preferences.
• Is the principal the head learner? We, too, must tear ourselves away from the paper, e-mail, phone calls, and meetings that jam our days to participate in meaningful professional development, lest we, too, keep relying on information learned for and in a different era.

February 2008 | Volume 65 | Number 5
Teaching Students to Think Pages 88-90 

As I read this article, I found myself nodding my head and saying out loud "I agree" more than once. 

Reflect on past year and look forward to the next...

Over the course of the 2013-14 school year, Castleberry ISD teachers integrated technology into the classrooms, allowing students to enhance learning with Web 2.0 apps. The teachers aligned lessons so that student digital activity matched the rigor of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Often, students were able to complete digital assignments that surpassed the expectations set by the classroom teachers. The mission of CISD is "to graduate all students as lifelong learners who will excel in our changing world and competitive workplace". Technology continues to change; therefore, educators must change continually.

The 2014-15 school year will be exciting at CISD. Students will continue to use technology while learning; our goal is to make technology use a regular practice in every classroom, everyday. Our graduates will be lifelong learners and they will excel in our technology rich world.