avreading.org

Michael Lewis’ recent book-turned-movie titled Moneyball is the story of how Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics more-or-less defied conventional baseball reasoning to maximize the potential of some highly undervalued players. Though I believe that Michael Lewis over exaggerates both the brilliance of Beane and the ignorance of MLB, he does offer us some interesting approaches that could be easily applied to the way we assign, collect, and evaluate homework.

Beane’s philosophy had essentially three seemingly contradictory foundations. First, you couldn’t trust what you were seeing on the field. He believed that when scouting and recruiting players, scouts were often fooled by things that don’t really matter when it comes to baseball, like how a player looks or appears to behave. Second, you couldn’t trust the numbers and statistics currently employed by baseball teams. Certain statistics like errors, batting average, and Runs Batted In (RBIs) were not accurate (or precise) measurements of a player’s worth or ability because these numbers don’t really capture the complex “language” of what is happening on the field. Third, you could trust certain numbers that seemed to be more precise and indicative of a player’s worth. With the help of a Harvard educated economist, he began to put greater weight on statistics like on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He even utilized statistics that measured a players defensive worth against his offensive worth. In defying the conventional notions, Beane has been able to acquire talented players normally overlooked by teams. He found gold where others merely saw lead.

I think there is a good take-away here for educators. First, you can’t always trust what you see on the surface within the classroom. As mentioned previously, I think we are sometimes disadvantaged by our experience in that we assume that because students struggled with homework or lessons in the past for one reason, then that must still be the case today. Second, some of the numbers we use to evaluate students do not always accurately reflect what they have or have not learned. Test scores are often incomplete tools in demonstrating student growth and learning. And project or homework points can sometimes inflate scores to reflect greater understanding than what is reality. Third, certain numbers might be more precise and meaningful. In the examples of Beane and his economist, they seem to shun some of the traditional measurements of success and failure on the field because they allowed too much room for either subjective judgment (giving an error to a player) or they depended too much on other variables or events.

Here are some potential tools that one could apply. Compare the amount of time and effort you put into homework completion in class to the completion rates of students. Compare the number of resources available to students against their completion rates. Examine completion rates against test performance to find if there is a link between doing the homework and how they do on tests. Survey students and parents to find what they believe to be are the obstacles to homework completion.

Like Beane, the challenge is to re-vision our classroom. It is to de-emphasize the data and numbers that often distract us and search for information that can allow us to more accurately diagnose and treat the problems within our lessons and classrooms. Doing so brings about innovation and change and allows us to see gold where others only see lead.

Here is the full newsletters84.pdf which includes an article on how to utilize brochures as an alternative to powerpoints.

Before we develop plans to improve student completion rates and performance on homework, we have to begin with a few important questions about why the problem exists. This is necessary to avoid discarding students as simply lazy or apathetic, when that may not be the case. Surveying students and talking to them is an important step in this process. This month I will offer some tips on how to do that and what you can do with that information.

Although it isn’t completely reliable, surveying students gives us some important information about what is—or is not—happening with homework. Last month, on one reading assignment, I created a quiz that I gave to the students following their assigned work. At the bottom, I simply asked, “Did you read this assigned reading? (Yes / No). And if not, what prevented you from doing so?” I told them that their honesty would be rewarded and that if they had not read it, I would allow for them to make-up the work at a later time. Unfortunately, my completion rate was pretty low. Only 28% of the students admitted to reading the chapter. Though I was disappointed by their performance, I was intrigued by their reasons for not completing the assignment. Thirty-five percent indicated that they had other commitments that kept them from doing their work, 21% mentioned that homework in other classes kept them from doing it and another 21% simply forgot. Only two students felt it was too hard to read.

This tells me that, in general, the assignment did not appear to be too difficult. For the vast majority of students, they could do the work but either were overly busy or overly disorganized. So my approach on the next assignment would focus on solutions that would address these factors.

It should be noted that self-reported surveys are not always completely accurate. First, sometimes students answer with the a socially acceptable response versus an honest one. Second, students are not always in the position to provide an objective or reliable response. This becomes especially noticeable when we ask them about their performance in relation to their ability. For example, students tend to overstate their abilities even when there is evidence to suggest the opposite. And while they might actually struggle with the reading or assignment, they might simply offer other excuses for not doing it, since they do not want to appear incapable.

In the end, it is necessary to draw information from numerous sources before we make decisions about what to do next. One easy “Homework Survey” is available here. Items on the survey make broad claims, which reduces the power of the findings, but can still give you some useful information for your class as a whole. Regardless of how you collect the information, please feel free to stop by and share it with me at some point.

Below is this month’s full issue. You will find two strategies: the “Whip Around” and the “Sentence Starter.”
newsletters83.pdf

For our building’s literacy goal this year, I am focusing on homework practices. In my first newsletter, I offered some questions to challenge you on the nature of homework in your classroom. And for this month, I am going to discuss the “structure” of homework. I will first present a portrait of the traditional structure of homework (which may or may not apply to you) and then offer an alternative model that might help you get closer to the completion rates you want.

In the traditional model, homework assignments—or just assignments as a whole—are all of equal weight, both in actual point value and in perceived value on the part of students. In some cases, many of the assignments are worth the same amount, and so when students get to the point where they have missed four or five of them, they struggle with where to begin since there seem to be so many little pieces missing. Students become preoccupied with these smaller assignments and then drop the ball on the big ones, thinking that before they do the big project they should probably do the smaller ones. And so the cycle begins: students fall behind, they become overwhelmed with where to start, and consequently give up—or do something silly like complete two small ten point assignments, when they are missing the 100 point project. Sometimes teachers intentionally structure the grade book this way in order to establish priorities. After all, students should know that the 100 point assignment is more important than the 10 point assignment. However, this isn’t always the case.

Sometimes restructuring our assignments can help students to know up front what to prioritize. While it is necessary to tell them that you expect them to do all of the work and do the work on time, it is more realistic to stratify the assignments in such a way that students can discern the “must complete” from the “should complete” from the “can complete” (ie extra credit or enrichment activities). In all honesty, we have that system within the traditional classroom when we simply make an assignment for lots of point, some points, and no or few points. But in the traditional classroom, students are not always fully aware of that system. In the stratified approach teachers decide from the outset what the five or six “must complete” tasks or assignments will be for the trimester. They become the essential learnings, the concepts that are absolutely critical to class. And no student is allowed to pass the class unless they complete all five or six of these tasks. By continually reminding students of this fact, students can easily discern what the base line for passing the class will be.

From there, teachers offer their regular assortment of weekly work. However, in this case, students are told that it is the expectation that they complete this work and hand it in, but that it isn’t as critical to passing the class. Note, this is hard to do. After all, we like to think or believe that all of our assignments are profoundly good and necessary. But the truth is that not all assignments are really that important. They might be critical to getting a good grade (ie. something higher than a D or a C), but they are not absolutely necessary for surviving the course or leading a healthy and productive life.

Psychologically, this changes the game a little bit. On the part of the student, a stratified approach enables a greater sense of choice. And almost universally, students make the right choice on these smaller pieces. They choose to do both the critical assignments and smaller assignments because they know that one or two of those assignments will most likely be the difference between a C+ and a B-. This restructuring also empowers teachers and allows them to focus on what is of most importance. Instead of being annoyed and irritated that a student is missing a handful of small assignments, teachers can focus on helping the student accomplish the big things.

Doing this should allow teachers to get upwards of 95% completion rates on the big things, which means 95% of the students in the class will pass. As an interesting side effect, students complete the big things, and typically feel empowered and confident (in cases were late work is allowed) to go back and tackle some of the small things. In those cases, it is likely that you will hit 80%-90% completion rates on the small things as well.

Prioritizing and stratifying your assignments in such a way forces you to come back—once again—to reflect on what is absolutely critical in your classroom. It allows you to distill your curriculum down to its bare essentials to ensure that students experience those lessons critical to your class. And it enables you to really go after kids on those big assignments, to schedule kids before and after school, during enrichments and study halls. It changes the mindset from “I will give you the opportunity but you must take it” to “I won’t let you fail. There is a path to success. We will get these things done.” Doing so establishes a mentality where all students can succeed.
November Newsletter 8.2

Presentation
Paper

Welcome Lit Planning Committee
Review Purpose and Objectives
Brainstorm Goals
Discuss Rethinking Homework

Potential Goals:
- Read and discuss a book as a group.
- What’s on Your Shelf?
- College Project
- ½ Day Workshop with Katy Carthey
- Sponsor a One Book One School Event
- Create a Homework Wiki in Moodle

Rethinking Homework Discussion Chapt. 1
- History of homework
o What can we learn from a look at this history?
- Laying Bare the Culture of Homework
o What is our culture of h.w. at AVHS?
o Do we believe in the inherent goodness of h.w.
o Response to the beliefs (extending learning, primacy of intellectual activity, teaching responsibility, establishes rigor, good teachers / good students).
o Moralistic views, Puritan work ethic, behaviorism
- Forces driving h.w. debate
- Balance Movement
o What are some of the potential problems that h.w. might present?

Next Meeting Wednesday, November 2nd.
Mission Statement

No matter the age of the student, the title of the course, the time of year, or the content area, teachers often mention the difficulties they face in getting students to do their homework. The struggle is not new. Looking across the history of schools in the U.S., you would find similar difficulties throughout time. Which is interesting because the tendency is to believe that today’s students are less motivated or less able to do their homework than students of yesteryear. However, this is not the case. Teachers have always complained about undisciplined students who were not doing their work outside of school (Kohn, 2010). And while the complaint hasn’t changed much, the use and popularity of homework has.

For example, school was largely drill and skill through the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Because so much of the work required rote memorization, homework was almost a given. (Gill & Schlossman, 2004). Progressive educational reform of the early 20th century changed things and homework was by and large discouraged. With the launch of Sputnik in the 50s, the pendulum swung the other direction, and homework became a virtually necessity as keeping up the with Russians was essential to our national security (Gill & Schlossman, 2004).

At each turn in the road, the very nature of homework was debated. What is to be the purpose of homework? How much homework is appropriate? What type of assignments are the most meaningful? Who should be doing homework? How should it be evaluated?

Over the course of this year, I will dedicate part of my monthly reading newsletters to this issue because homework and literacy are closely related. First, so much of what is assigned as homework requires students to read. Second, homework belongs to the broader category of academic literacy. And part of our job is to help students who have not traditionally done well in school to navigate the hidden, and sometimes confusing rules of academic life.

My newsletters this year will address the issue of homework on two levels. First, I hope to challenge your thinking on homework. In other words, I present arguments and research that show how homework privileges some students over others, how it can be counterproductive, and how it often does not accomplish what we think it does. But I will also offer research that shows how reducing homework may disadvantage students. My intention is to trouble your thinking and either re-enforce your beliefs, or offer you the chance to reflect, review and revise your practices. Second, I will offer some innovative and interesting instructional practices that might help you within your classroom. In return, I encourage you to join the discussion. You can do this in a number of ways. You can hit reply and send me your thoughts on any given topic. You can stop me in the hall and give me an earful, or if you prefer something more formal, you can join the Literacy Planning Committee where we discuss these things on a regular basis.

I am often amazed by the responses to these newsletters and presentations. Your insight is thoughtful and through provoking. I appreciate your passion, and your participation fosters a climate of creativity, innovation, and excellence. Thank you.

Gill, B.P., & Schlossman, S.L. (2004). Villian or savior? The American discourse on homework, 1850-2003. Theory into Practice. 43(3), 174-181.

Kohn, A. (2010). Spoiled rotten. Washington Post, Sunday Outlook Section available at http://www.alfiekohn.org/miscellaneous/spoiling.htm
October Newsletter Printable

If you are looking for examples of Senior Speeches from other years, refer to the speeches below.
*Note: Many of these samples were written and performed by two people. While you could choose to do this, there is nothing inherently better or more beneficial to writing a speech with a partner.

Alex and Sarah 2004

Andy 2006

Xiao Xiao and Martin 2007

Brittany and Ellen 2008

Here are the documents you can use for the MCA Prep in 10th grade English Classes.
Cover Sheet
Lesson Plans
Practice Sections (Progress, Elders)
Article of the Week

Hello everyone,
Here is the AVReading Newsletter for this month. It discusses the intensification of the school day and the impact of that on our practices as teachers. It also offers some textbook reading tips for you and your classes.

In other news, our Literacy Planning Committee is meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, February 2nd) in Room 132 from 2:30-3:00. Feel free to join us. We will talk about how textbooks are used in our classrooms and possible literacy projects that we might take up this year.

Hope to see you there,
Scott Voss
Reading Coordinator

Here are some of the digital tools I talked about in my presentation on January 12th, 2011. I hope you find something fun and useful.

Exit Survey
Wallwisher
Voice Thread
Voki My Sample For those of you interested in using Voki, it was brought to my attention that if you click “share” and send the link via email, you can then get the specific address from the email. Thus, you can make direct links to students (in Moodle for example) without having to mess around with all of the embedding. It would be a bit of copying and pasting on your part, but could have some fun possibilities.

Get a Voki now!

Blabberize
Diigo
Delicious
Google Materials
Digital Reader’s Theatre
Smartboard
Second Life (Radical Digital Experience)
Moodle Ideas
Prezi (Powerpoint’s Alternative)
Garrisonsites
Goodreads.com
Wikis and Birdwalks