ActivExpression users invited to participate in Marzano study…

Over the last 5 years, Dr. Robert Marzano, noted author of; Designing & Teaching Learning Goals & Objectives, The Highly Engaged Classroom, Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading, On Excellence in Teaching, District Leadership That Works, and The Art and Science of Teaching, has worked with Promethean to conduct an independent study on the effects of the Promethean ActivClassroom on teaching methodology, student engagement, and performance.  Phase III of this study was recently announced, focusing on the integration of the ActivExpression learner responses systems into the classroom. 

Hawaii Promethean ActivExpression users are invited to participate in this exciting nationwide study to address the following research question: “What is the impact of Promethean ActivExpressions on student engagement and academic achievement?”

Below is a quick breakdown of the research methodology:

1.      Teacher participants will complete the free online ActivExpression course and take part in a free 2-hour workshop on the InterActiv Engagement Method (conducted by IAAK);

2.      Teachers will choose a 1-day lesson within a unit of study in their curriculum for the purposes of the study;

3.      Teachers will design a pre/post assessment and administer the assessment to a class that they’ve chosen for the study;

4.      Teachers will then randomly assign half of the class to the “Control Group,” and half of the class to the “Treatment Group;”

5.      Teachers will send the “Treatment Group” to the library/computer lab (or another area of the school) and then teach the “Control Group” the lesson without ActivExpressions and administer the “Post Test”  to this group at the conclusion of the lesson (teachers will also be asked to video tape this lesson);

6.      The next day teachers will send the “Control Group” to the library/computer lab (or another area of the school) and teach the “Treatment Group” the lesson with ActivExpressions and administer the “Post Test” at the conclusion of the lesson to this group (teachers will also be asked to video tape this lesson);

7.      Teachers will then send the data gathered from both groups, along with the video tapes of both classes to Marzano Research Laboratory for analysis.

If you are interested in participating in this study or have any questions, please contact Craig Crisler at (808) 457-6745 or at ccrisler@iaak.net.   Deadline to sign up is March 7, 2012 and study training will take place on March 12, 2012 (if unable to attend this training, we would be happy to schedule a training at your convenience).  Mahalo for your consideration!

Hawaii Charter School Conference Reflections

We were honored to be a part of the 10th Annual Hawaii Charter School Conference “Delivering on the Promise” this past month.  What resonated the most…hearing personal stories directly from the leaders within the charter school network, both locally and nationally; and to be amongst the audience as they continued their dialogue discussing the successes and challenges of this movement…Inspiring!  Here are just a few of the amazing individuals and their stories to share.

• Daniel Caluya, Principal of Waters of Life (Na Wai Ola).  Principal Caluya’s school was awarded Most Improved Charter School for 2011 and this leader turned around a low-performing school to one that has met AYP.  Putting service above self, Mr. Caluya’s recipe for success includes mandatory Saturday school, 5:45am “clock-in” as the first person on campus, and an empathetic heart for the students he serves including the substantial homeless population at his school- something he can relate to since he was in and out of several foster homes starting at the age of 2 and homeless, on the streets, at the age of 16.  And this is just one “chapter” of this hero’s life story.
• Greg Hauptner, CEO/CFO/Founder of G Star School of the Arts for Motion Picture and Broadcasting.  A West Palm Beach charter school doubles as a motion picture studio (largest movie studio in Florida–yes, even larger than Universal Studios) with graduation rates of 99%.  Talk about thinking outside the box, this entrepreneur has mastered the limelight when it comes to college-and-career readiness (97% of its graduates are college bound), which builds mastery and sustainability in the film industry and boosts the state and local economy.  Hawaii G Star School coming soon?!
• Nohea Kealoha, Federal Programs Manager of the Charter School Administrative Office (CSAO).  Our very own local leader co-presented at the session, Common Core: Nationally and Locally.  Participants learned about some of the key opportunities available for all charter schools when it comes to Common Core resources.  Mrs. Kealoha was instrumental in initiating Hawaii’s first Common Core Black Belt Institute cohort.  The participants in this graduate-level practicum include local charter school directors, curriculum coordinators, coaches, and teachers, representing about one third of all Hawaii charter schools.  She also presented the rationale and the intended outcomes of the Black Belt Institute to include building mastery and capacity amongst our own experts on the national standards yet also providing a forum for collaboration and communication at the local, state, and national level,  Think of it as the hybrid Professional Learning Community (PLC) model.

Making Thinking Visible

The concept of “making thinking visible” is not new.  In fact, it is a core component of schooling and learning – students externalize their thoughts through speaking, writing, drawing, or some other method.  An ASCD Educational Leadership article titled “Making Thinking Visible” is dense with good information and strategies.  The article describes a Project Zero initiative called “Visible Thinking”, explaining the six key principles of Visible Thinking, strategies to promote it, and effects on learning.

A couple of the key principles:

• Learning is a consequence of thinking.  Or, in other words, thinking through concepts results in learning.  And, thinking through concepts is best done collaboratively.
• Good thinking is not only a skill but a disposition.  Open-mindedness, curiosity, and creativity need to be encouraged. 

Strategies to promote making thinking visible:

• Thinking routines offer structure to support thinking.  A couple of examples:
  • “Think-Puzzle-Explore” prompts students to share what they think about a topic, identify questions they puzzle about, and target ideas to explore.  While this strategy is similar to the KWL strategy, by using the term “think” instead of “know” a shift occurs from absolutes to possibilities and openness.  This gets back to the principle that good thinking is not just a skill but a disposition.
  • “See-Think-Wonder” routine sparks creativity and inquiry by prompting students to make observations about an object, image or event by answering these three questions:  1) what do you see?  2) what do you think about that?  3) what does it make you wonder?
• Consistent teacher prompts – after a student states an idea or opinion, ask the student “What makes you say that?”  Soon, students will naturally justify their ideas without prompting.

Effects of Making Thinking Visible:

• Classroom activities become more learning oriented than work oriented. 
• All students feel they have a voice and participation is enhanced (in quantity and quality).
• Long Lake Elementary school in Michigan has been implementing Visible Thinking ideas since 2004 and student scores have significantly increased on state and district tests in reading, writing, and social studies.

Using Interactive Whiteboards to support making thinking visible:

• An IWB can serve as a shared collaboration space, a notational system that makes collective thinking visible.  With collective thinking visible, memory is freed up for more complex tasks.
• The tools and functions of the IWB support varied forms of expression – text (typed or handwritten), images (drawn or camera), audio, and video – and supports the layering of expression over time.  In a classroom this promotes time for reflection.
• An IWB offers teachers a way to save all thinking documented on the board.  In this way, it captures learning over time and supports teacher in more accurately assessing students’ understanding.

I always come back to this key question – “Are you asking students to think or to remember?”

Curriculum – the secret to educational reform?

This Curriculum Matters’ blog post highlighting a new book called Tyranny of the Textbook:  An Insider Exposes How Educational Materials Undermine Reforms written by Beverlee Jobrack, retired editorial director for McGraw-Hill, raises some thought-provoking ideas.  Here are a couple of ideas shared via the post:

• School and district committees for curriculum selection filled with teachers and others who lack the appropriate expertise, motivation, and time to make the best choices;
• State textbook adoptions focused on whether curricular materials meet state standards, line by line, with little or no attention to whether they actually are of high quality and represent a coherent and well-designed instructional approach.

Some very generalized statements – just the type to spark controversy and discussion which usually seems to begin the change process.  Jobrack’s overarching message is “Quality curriculum taught by quality teachers has the most potential to improve student achievement.”

Have a look at the post.  It’s worth the read – especially with today’s priority to implement the Common Core State Standards.  As the Common Core State Standards initiative drives us to think about instructional shifts, let’s be sure to give curriculum the attention it deserves.

Readers of eSchool News Select Top Resources for 2012

This article highlights 50 technology programs and services that readers selected as winners for 2012.  You’ll see some familiar ones and several unique ones.  The resources are quite varied – ranging from LMS platforms to math curricula to assistive technologies to digital books – so it is worth a quick scroll through.  Two products on the list that we know quite well are BrainPOP and Safari Montage!

Promethean Planet – Best of 2011

I love the end of the year/new year “best of” features.  It’s nice to look back, review, recognize growth and progress, and spotlight the best of the best.  In 2011, Promethean Planet started with 26,000 resources and ended the year with over 50,000 interactive resources.  Also worth noting is the million member milestone achieved in July.  All good signs that the Planet is thriving as a useful, valuable community.  To see the top 10 most downloaded flipcharts and resource packs, click here.  You know these must be high-quality! 

And, not to be missed is the 2011 top 10 Edublog articles.  Here you’ll find tips and strategies pertaining to using iPads in the ActivClassroom, QR codes, comic strips, and more.  Take advantage of these great “summaries” to kick start new thinking in 2012!

Edutopia’s New Year’s Resolution: Think Differently

Happy New Year!  I can’t resist the opportunity to share a post from Edutopia’s eNewsletter.  First, I love the theme of the newsletter – “New Year’s Resolution:  Think Differently”.  Secondly, I appreciated the article “Discover Design Thinking” as it provides a nice overview of the design process and offers an application example.  I’ve blogged about design thinking in the past.  You can find posts here and here.  In this Edutopia article, the author, Betty Ray, Edutopia’s senior blog editor and community manager, also weaves in ideas for application in the classroom with students.  Design thinking is one of those inspiring and creative frameworks that sounds great in practice but can be challenging to implement.  This article is excellent in that it succinctly describes the process in action within the educational arena, with both teachers and students leading the way. 

Let’s start thinking differently now!  

December Power User Workshop Recap

On Monday, December 19^th, 64 dedicated teachers spent their day at Waipahu High School learning more about the Promethean ActivClassroom. Teachers were treated to presentations created by IAAK specialists as well as teachers from various schools around the island.  The Power User Workshop offered teachers of all skill levels something of value – from learning the basics to discovering new ways to add interactivity and engagement to lessons.  Many thanks to our wonderful teacher presenters, Heather Byrne, Danice Mineshima, Ann Tanaka, Cindy Wong, Judy Tateyama, Liz Castillo, and Midori Burton, who graciously volunteered to share their expertise with others.

Click on the links below to explore the excellent resources shared during the workshop.

• Basic Orientation for Teachers
• Introduction to Learner Response Systems
• ActivInspire 101:  Beyond the Basics
• Making Flipcharts with the ActivInspire Camera
• Making it Active!

Meet Thomas Suarez, 12-year-old innovator, app designer, and teacher

This kid is great.  In this Manhattan Beach TEDX talk, he shares how his passion for games led him down a simple yet truly rewarding path… and, look here he is presenting among the greats about innovation and educational transformation.  In under five minutes, you’ll see how he moved from a consumer to researcher to producer to teacher to change agent.  And, what I love best, he’s still a kid – not a kid trying to be an adult.  Very cool… someone to follow for sure!  One of his best lines in his talk, “Students usually know a little bit more than teachers… with the technology.”  The audience got a kick of that statement.

This is why we do what we do…

There are special moments amidst the operational to-dos that crystallize why we do what we do…  this story comes from Moe, our District Manager on the Big Island.  It’s so touching, especially during this holiday season, that I had to share via the blog.  High school students who graduate from our after-school tutoring program, receive a free laptop.  It’s an incentive for them to complete the program and, more importantly, a tool they can use to produce, collaborate, and connect in the 21^st century.  Here’s the story…

Moe writes, “We delivered our first nine laptops to grad students today and it went terrific.   A dad brought me outside to say that things haven’t been going so well for his family this year and we (IAAK) was able to give his kids a Christmas they really deserved.  It was quite an emotional moment for both of us.  Also, a student at Waiakea High will be getting her laptop tomorrow.  She will be moving back to the Marshall Islands and said she’s bringing the laptop as a present for her whole family.  Her mom and dad called saying how appreciative they were and asked me to come over for tea.  It’s days like these that keep us pushing to help as many families as we can.  Keep doing what you’re doing, great things are happening.”

It’s incredible to hear the impact our work is having on families – not just the kids we serve.   Thanks to the entire IAAK team for the dedication to serve children and their families and communities.  Thank you to Moe for reflecting and sharing this special moment with all of us.  Happy holidays!