Shelby, MS Math. On the one hand I can't believe the school year is already in November. On the other hand, someone reminded me that Black Panther came out this past February. It's been a looooong year. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Ok, let's get started. This week I think the questions will mostly stem from the ones I wrote in the post. I don't normally do that, but those hypotheticals will get some good answers from this group
#WeirdEd Ok, let's get started. This week I think the questions will mostly stem from the ones I wrote in the post. I don't normally do that, but those hypotheticals will get some good answers from this group
A1: I'm a fan of both. Particularly in math, I like to see what strategies they are using so I can connect it to what we do now, but I also want to see what's going to be expected of them. #WeirdEd
Also forgive me #WeirdEd I'm multi-tasking between #CallofCthulhu Horror tabletop RPG show on @Hyper_RPG and chattin' with y'all fine fellow edu-weirdos.
A1 At HS, I don't think that grade level is as relevant. I like to observe outside my subject area. #WeirdEd
Stealing/modifying other great ideas that are non-traditional for my subject helps me.
Maybe I’m weird, but I like observing in all different grade levels & disciplines. I teach 4-6, but I can get a lot out of observing a Kinder class #WeirdEd
A1: I don’t think either is inherently better and it really depends on the teacher you are observing. I come from a para background so I got to observe great teachers at all grade levels and I’ve stolen from all of them. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A1 I, too, believe it's good to observe both up and down. I've seen lots of good things I can bring to my classroom, having field exp in both younger & older elementary. If nothing else, one can have a model for teacher behavior, if that makes sense?
A1: I personally would like to start observing up in order to learn more about what will be expected of my 8th graders in high school so I can prepare them as best as possible! #WeirdEd
A1.5) But also, I’d love to observe up and visit a middle school. I haven’t had much opportunity to observe secondary and it would be great to see what I’m (theoretically) preparing my kids for. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd If I did, I'll give you all the S word, then watch in trepidation as you try to drive through several inches of snow, or nearly invisible icy roads....
#WeirdEd I hate grade levels and age-tracking in #school. Having said that, I'd say up for the mind and down for the heart. To bring more intellectual challenge to younger #students and more warmth to older students.
#WeirdEd Q2 At what point, if any, does the gap become too large to be useful? Could a high school teacher mine things from a kinder teacher, and visa versa? If the answer to that is no, then at what point working backwards would the gap be effective?
#WeirdEd Yep, this is good. I love to go to other classrooms (though for me, all classrooms, not just up), and find behaviors and target expectations, and how they practice/implement
I agree! Especially working with 8th grade spec ed students, I look to foreshadow expectations as much as possible so they have even the smallest ability to predict the new environment they will be going to! #WeirdEd
That’s interesting. I like when my school does their vertical articulationmeetigs and allow us to talk to the grade above & below to share info. #weirded
#WeirdEd wow, thanks. You just reminded me that the #student who just joined my #programming for #science#students course (in November) is a #music major. And all welcomed her warmly. Must make special use of the addition!
#WeirdEd I like those meetings too, especially when we get the chance to get detailed in "When they get to me I want X from them" and the other grade goes, "We're trying man." then we work together.
A2 I have "stolen" lots of great ideas from elementary and used in both middle and high. Also, reverse engineered HS lessons for elementary science club. #weirded
Learn from all ages, and not just in the classroom.
Our school does something similar through the PLC process! I get to meet with 6th-8th grade spec ed teachers 3x a week which helps me learn more about our students! #WeirdEd
I think it is better to observe up to understand the expectations of the following year, but I also think there is value in where there students came from. I would choose up though because I want to know where to take my students. 👍🏻🤩🤓
Maybe, then, I can feel ok that it took me 6 weekly classes to build a team that helps each other #vrg, asks such questions even if they seem off topic, and feels comfortable telling me what they need in order to #learn better. #WeirdEd
#weirded A2 I think the most useful stuff is probably only a couple grades up or down. Much more past 2 years and it’s diminishing returns. E.g. A MS teacher could pull lots of ideas from a 9th grade class, but the 9th grade teacher might only get 1 or 2 ideas from 3rd grade.
Yes. We found out most teachers wanted a certain math skill but it was missing or lacking from our curriculum. Nice when those were willing to work together. #weirded
A2: It depends on what you’re observing for. Right now, as a first year teacher I’m looking for a lot of things that are relavant across grade levels like teacher talk time, class structure and general process, not specific academic concepts. #WeirdEd
#weirded A2 I think the most useful stuff is probably only a couple grades up or down. Much more past 2 years and it’s diminishing returns. E.g. A MS teacher could pull lots of ideas from a 9th grade class, but the 9th grade teacher might only get 1 or 2 ideas from 3rd grade.
A2: If you want to be reminded of the absolute JOY with which kids can approach mathematics, observe pre-K and K classrooms. SO much autonomy and agency... and fun! No matter your grade level- you will learn something. #WeirdEd
A2: For me, the ‘gap’ is ‘access’ more than skills. My kinders might have the same lesson plans as a fourth grade music class. Depends on what the teacher has. #WeirdEd
A1: A grade below will show me what and how my kids learned in the previous grade, I can get some engagement strategies, routines and such. Observing up a grade level helps to see what will be expected. Benefits for both for sure! #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I'm curious tho, does teacher talk time, for example, change depending on the grade? For example, kinders can't read (to start at least), so you HAVE to talk more. Right?
#WeirdEd A2 My immediate thought is, yes, there could be a gap that is too big... but it's because of inherent structure of the day, not necessarily content that's taught or the developmental level of the Ss. HS/middle school kids rotate rooms/teachers throughout the day... 1/2
#WeirdEd Q2 At what point, if any, does the gap become too large to be useful? Could a high school teacher mine things from a kinder teacher, and visa versa? If the answer to that is no, then at what point working backwards would the gap be effective?
...while *most* primary kids stay with one teacher the whole day. That requires a different pacing and instructional style that wouldn't necessarily be transferable as kids move up...yes? #WeirdEd 2/2
#WeirdEd A2 I think there's some benefit in observing classrooms even with a wide gap. It can help put things in perspective, as well as add context to discover where students are heading or where students are coming from, but I'm not sure if there's a treasure trove to swim thru
#WeirdEd I am not sure how much I can gain from a high school teacher as I teach kindergarten. I collaborate often with the fifth and sixth grade teachers in my school, though a lot of what they do is beyond me. I feel like they glean more from me.
#WeirdEd I think this is especially true when people talk about relationship building. It's SO much easier for me, who has kids all day long every day, than a teacher who sees kids for 45 minutes a day. I've got more time, more chances.
Yes, but, they are masterful at limiting the volume of talk at a time. No speeches, quick and necessary talk followed by interaction and partner talk. I struggle when I feel like I’m “on a roll” at stopping and letting them interact. #WeirdEd
I think that if what we are observing is mathematics instruction, I disagree with you. I think 3rd grade can inform 9th quite a bit (and vice versatile). #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I think some of that ends up being more of a "general appreciation of what everyone is doing" thing than a specific skills thing. I think a lot of *cough* people on here wouldn't trash teachers as much if they saw a wide range of you know teaching.
We meet for about 30 minutes a meeting, but they are very busy as we just rolled out a new spec ed model- It is nice to be able to collaborate about students with teachers who have created relationships with them already or brainstorm new strats #WeirdEd
Not necessarily more talking... a lot of kindergarten is kids DOING stuff... more of school all the way up should be kids DOING stuff and talking about it! #WeirdEd
A2: I always learn so much about pedagogy and teacher talk moves and organising discussions from teachers all the way back to pre-school. I’m a HS/University teacher. So maybe the backwards gap can be as big as you want. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Exactly. I get to expereience a whole day with my kids, watch their moods and emotions flux (as they do, because they're tiny humans). We get to take an extra 10 min on a math lesson because we're so *in* it & not worry about having to get them to the next period.
#WeirdEd Ex for Q3 ie, if you are a hyper-organized 4th grade T and you come into my room, would that be more or less effective for you than coming into a room taught by a T who aligns closer to your own style?
#WeirdEd I will say this, too. I feel like my teaching style is partially influenced by ALL of the teachers I've observed/had throughout my life, growing up. Whether good or bad, dunno. But it is there...
A3 Teaching types... Anyone who reminds me of my elementary school teachers. 60 years old and I still reflect on both my 1st and 4th grade teachers. #weirded
#WeirdEd A3 I dunno, personally, I so want to absorb everything from teachers and classroom I'm in, that I don't think there's much. Though, if it's a classroom so authoritarian, so teacher-centric, I just learn how far I shouldn't go....
Multiplicative and proportional reasoning have their foundations in the important work of third grade. Algebra teachers would recognize it... and could really help with building conceptual understanding in HS students! #WeirdEd
A3: I learned as much as a para by being in classrooms and seeing how I didn’t want to do things as I did seeing teachers do things I wanted to emulate. You may not get practical, “you can do this tomorrow” tools, but you can learn something. #WeirdEd
A3 I think I get different resources/ideas from people who are more different than me/my style,and other types of thoughts/ideas (perhaps not as revelatory) from teachers/subjects more like mine. Benefits to both #WeirdEd
A3: Seeing multiple teaching styles can only help/inform your practice. It helps you reflect on changes you want to make and let go of things that you thought were "so important to do." You can't try what you don't know! #weirded
#WeirdEd A3 I dunno, personally, I so want to absorb everything from teachers and classroom I'm in, that I don't think there's much. Though, if it's a classroom so authoritarian, so teacher-centric, I just learn how far I shouldn't go....
#WeirdEd I think this is a righteous answer that points out how my question wasn't clear enough. The GOALS of your observation would inform allllll of the reasons you'd go somewhere. Great call
I think it would depend on what I wanted to see. How to keep the craft supplies organized? Maybe not. How to use flexible groupings or conferencing or how to just let things GO… maybe. :)
A3: I struggle with teachers who are ‘soft spoken.’ I always find myself having to do double the classroom management when I’m with a class whose teacher is ‘soft spoken.’ #WeirdEd
A3: I flip and it suits my teaching style well, when i see teacher not flip I am reminded why I do. (not in a judgy way but in a what suits me better way) #WeirdEd
Because I teach 5 different subjects at HS, I LOVE it when I get the chance to see my students more than once in a day. OR if I see them more than one year in different classes.
Gives me such a great opportunity to get to know them better. #WeirdEd
I love being able to bounce around classrooms as a spec ed teacher and observe all the different ways my colleagues come up with to teach the same concept! Very informative and many good ideas to try! #WeirdEd
#weirded A3 I found myself constantly in awe of teachers who ran a very organized and “regimented” class. Mostly because it’s the polar opposite of me. I wouldn’t say there’s *nothing* to get from that teacher, but it would be difficult for me to glean applicable ideas.
#WeirdEd Yes, especially when I start falling back into my experience in growing up in an authoritarian environment/culture, there's this "I'm right, this'll work" blinders that shoot up. Remembering examples, concrete ones, help a LOT.
A2: I don't think it should be common practice to observe several grade levels from your own but every once in awhile wouldn't hurt. Some think, my kids can't do that! But, if a 6th grade teacher saw a K class in action then they can get it done too! #WeirdEd
A3 Teachers should never criticize a student behind their backs. Furthermore teachers should not complain to their students about the fact that their birthday was ruined by an event like Pearl Harbor. #weirded
#WeirdEd Interesting. I would have thought it would be the other way, a real strong hand teacher's class would require more. Specialist observations are super helpful
But isn’t that what all teaching styles are? A beautiful mix of stolen ideas from colleagues and mentors, memories of what you loved from your teachers when you were a student, your own magic ideas. Minus the things you saw and vowed never to emulate. #WeirdEd
Hmmm. Interesting perspective. I doubt I'd think you were nuts, but I suspect that I might still have a reaction. Not sure. Depends on how it's done. #weirded
I miss that so much. The classroom is so much lonelier than being someone who floated around the building. I love a classroom community, but I miss feeling the heartbeat of the whole school and watching all my fabulous colleagues...#WeirdEd
#WeirdEd It's better to see something different to get a wide view so you know as much as possible, but is that actually better for my practice? Wouldn't it be easier, and therefore easier to implement in my classroom, if I watched someone who was closer to my own style?
Nah- the soft spoken ones have the worst behaviors in their classes bc the kids walk all over them and don’t follow through if you need to discipline further. The teachers with a strong hand have classes that get stuff done and actually follow through if you need it. #weirded
#WeirdEd A3 Also, observing Ts that r different from one's own teaching (w/o detriment to Ss) can help inform any gaps of knowledge/areas to work on for self. @TheWeirdTeacher had that example in his related blog, abt the station rotation, now he has a model to modify, rebuild
A3- my classroom is definitely most often organized and structured chaos and yet I still enjoy seeing very different styles if I can steal something from them #WeirdEd
I usually connect and learn more from people who teach like myself. It stresses me out to observe people who are the opposite because it feels more like a ‘critique’ or ‘guilt’ #weirded
#WeirdEd Yep, though sometimes filtered through one's own "voice," some have that "controlled chaos" thing going on, while others are more organized, etc. etc.
I think the different style forces me to reflect on my own style and justify how what I do helps and does not help students. The same style observation help get me ideas to implement (so not really answering your question)
I agree that other teachers and school experiences influence what you bring into the classroom. What you do will influence others, either as a wish, a "do", or a "will not do". #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd No, anything you implement you'll do in your own style, so it'll be easy for you. But variety of new material will only come from people different from you. Such observation will be harder to do and to translate, but worth it
A3: I'm definitely more interested in observing a class where 21st century learning is in full swing! Desks in rows, teacher talking, kids just listening, paper pencil only...yeah no thanks! Crazy on fire engaging teacher, kids discussing, organized chaos...sign me up! #WeirdEd
I guess what I mean by this is that nobody is perfect. We can all get better at what we do. Sometimes we don't know what we don't know, & we need to step outside our comfort zone to shake things up & radically change the dynamics of our teaching to be able to get better. #WeirdEd
I have never met a soft spoken teacher that has followed through on their own rules when faced with conflict. So, I don’t know. Not trying to be mean, I just have never seen it. #weirded
A3: I can appreciate a different style of teaching but some things aren't realistic for my classroom. I don't gather much from controlled chaos because it's not me personally. #weirded
@TheWeirdTeacher All of a sudden, looking back, I realize that without exception, my weird #teachers, so few of them, were my best. Just saying. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A4 My final mentor T was director of Teaching & Instruction for awhile. Had awesome stuff, but disconnect between her and her admins & the Ts led to really bad implementation. She returned to teaching (when I student taught) & felt bad abt the disconnect, so Yes.
No I don’t think that’s mean... I think it may just be left to how you interpret soft spoken... you definitely have to be appropriately firm when classroom management is concerned #weirded
#WeirdEd And this isn't a knock against her, her planning & integration of multiple subject areas for instruction was awesome to behold, & it wasn't all her fault (lots of other stuff happened), but again, the disconnect away from classroom has negative effect.
#WeirdEd A4 My final mentor T was director of Teaching & Instruction for awhile. Had awesome stuff, but disconnect between her and her admins & the Ts led to really bad implementation. She returned to teaching (when I student taught) & felt bad abt the disconnect, so Yes.
#WeirdEd One more!
Q5 Is it better to observe or be observed in order to improve your practice, assuming the conversation afterwards is open, honest, goal-driven, and reflective.
If you don’t have experience, all of your PD is theory. I don’t want to take a chance on students with theory. I prefer to learn from those who rolled up their sleeves nd did the work in classrooms with students. #WeirdEd
A4 I think the longer people are out of the classroom the less relevant their "advice" is. Career PD should substitute (to help with the shortage and remember what it is like in the trenches).
Same goes for admin.
In my first school every admin taught one period a day. #WeirdEd
Kinda hard when all of the admin are there and it’s in an auditorium of all elementary teachers. Who are also antsy bc we were a hostile audience for 2 hours with no breaks. There was a complaint written in our union monitor about it. #weirded
Q4: YES! PD presenters should be expected to obserce, and shadow I might add, a teacher in their class for a full day. That might help give perspective the next time they think we have time for x, y, and z. #WeirdEd
A5: I want to be observed and get feedback I can actually use. I might think I'm rockin it up there, and miss how the lesson is just not connecting with some Ss. Give me something I can use! #WeirdEd
A5 Be observed, hands down. It’s helpful to watch other teachers and observe, but I’d rather have someone else be able to see what I do, get ideas for me and hopefully point out some blind spots. #weirded
A5: At this point early in my career, I crave observation of me, and the reflection afterwards. I could see it shifting to observing others once I feel like I have a solid foundation of my own. I love both, regardless. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd One more!
Q5 Is it better to observe or be observed in order to improve your practice, assuming the conversation afterwards is open, honest, goal-driven, and reflective.
#WeirdEd A5 I would want both. And it'd be good if the T you observe can also observe you. Could work in many ways, Observe a T first, then see if u can implement ideas u liked from them, the T can observe u & reflect.
I like both, tbh. ANYTHING to further my practice & improve
Or maybe you feel like you tanked it and need someone on the outside pointing out the things you did well that you would overlook in your disappointment. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I think I'd like the observing someone else t sandwich between being observed and reflecting. Like be observed, find weakness, observe someone else good at it, be observed trying to implement new thing.
A5 I think watching a video of yourself in action is awkwardly revelatory!
I tend to learn most from watching others but need to check myself as well by seeing myself on video.
We are not the best auditors of our own classroom behaviors while in the act of teaching #WeirdEd
Especially when you can get specific feedback, right? Having another set of ears and eyes to see what students are doing and then having time to discuss next steps! #weirded
My district has an awesome peer coaching model that me and my former cooperating teacher, @MsAprilKenyon, are doing together and we get to do this very thing next week! #WeirdEd
