Thank you for visiting #ksedchat. We welcome all educators to our chat that runs Mondays at 8 p.m. Central. Though many of our educators have their homes in Kansas, all teachers are welcome to pop in and join in on the learning.
Today was ones of those days that I sat back and watched my Ss shine and thought, this is why I #LoveTeaching they by far exceeded my expectations w/their debates on Athens vs. Sparta! #ksedchat#313teach#Bexceptional
Hi all! I'm Nick from Towanda and @circleusd375 schools. I teach 6th Grade Math and Science. I'm here for summers off. Kidding. The kids are why I show up and love my job. #ksedchat
Courtney Keller - 7th Grade Science - Lawrence, KS. First Year Teacher 🙌🏽 #LoveTeaching because I believe in & get to see the power of relationships #ksedchat
Melissa from Atchison. I teach 6-8 Soc Studies (World, Geography/KS, US History). I love seeing Ss connect history to their lives & interests #ksedchat
Hi everyone! I'm Joe, and I am an AP in Eudora. I will be in and out tonight. I love teaching because I love people and I love helping people! #ksedchat
Good evening. TJ Warsnak from Social Studies teacher from Halstead HS. #LoveTeaching because I get to see the growth of young adults from 9th graders to graduates who are ready to do great things. #ksedchat
...and the $$$$$.
Hey #ksedchat ! I #loveteaching because of the relationships I get to build. That I get to make a difference everyday, and I get to be just a small piece of our future!
Hi friends! I #loveteaching so much! Here’s a pic of our archery training that we got through a cool grant! Can’t wait to start this with our kiddos! #ksedchat
A1 W/ formative assessment Ss are introduced to the topic & (hopefully) given some feedback from peers and/or myself. Summative assessment is usually in form of quizzes, tests, presentations, projects and (for the most part) given after some time talking about topic #ksedchat
Assessment takes so many forms. I always valued informal formative assessments as a gauge of where we were. As a teacher I never wanted to be surprised when summative assessments came around, and if I was doing a good job utilizing formatives I always had a heads up! #ksedchat
A1) Assessment takes so many forms. I always valued informal formative assessments as a gauge of where we were. As a teacher, I never wanted to be surprised when summative assessments came around, & if I was doing a good job utilizing formatives I always had a heads up! #ksedchat
A1: This year my team has challenged ourselves to do unit projects vs. chapter tests in SS. I’ve also added collaboration and discussion to my math assessments. #ksedchat
A1: Obviously it's formal and informal, but the best in SS is when a dialogue occurs & students are talking about what they are trying to accomplish & I can help get them there. This can be verbal of through an ongoing reflection. #ksedchat
A1) This year I took the leap and followed Hack Assessment's advice and I have my Ss proving to me what grade they should earn for the final. Then frequent check ins in between. #ksedchat
In my project-based learning school @lacrossedesign, students regularly receive formative assessment on their projects--from conversations with advisors, research presentations in front of peers, or product critiques from everyone, students receive ongoing feedback. #ksedchat
A1 I am a still spreading my wings but for some of my classes it’s traditional. They see they make progress. In others, I love to leave feed forward comments on their work to encourage them to keep trying #ksedchat
Formal assessment is reflective and holistic, involving the student and the advisor having conversation about a final project after both have filled out a rubric, noting strengths and areas of challenge. #ksedchat
I've added online discussions, in addition to a chapter quiz or project, as a summative assessment. Less points are connected so there is less pressure w/ this assessment but it still challenges Ss to make connections to what they learned that chpt #ksedchat
Hi #ksedchat! Sorry I'm late to the show. Abigail Crane from Olathe, KS, and I #loveteaching because of the power to transform the lives of all students!
Discussion and collaboration are critical in other subjects areas; I find it refreshing when math teachers recognize this component! #iteachmath#MTBoS#ksedchat
A1) Assessment is an ongoing process that doesn't just end with a final product/project. Assessment is informal and used to provide feedback to improve products (and as a result MASTER skills!) #ksedchat
I also have to give the MAP Assessment, which can be hard on kids when they experience test fatigue. I love how you call it opportunity! Way to reframe what can be (for some) a painful experience #ksedchat
This was the first year for 1st graders. They were amazing. It was new to them and had no reason to fear it. I just tell them some adults think they are too little for stuff like this. Those are fighting words in my class. They live to prove those adults wrong. #ksedchat
A2) My students do sometimes have practice work outside of class. I don't include it in the Performance part of their grade (75%). I want to grow in individualizing these opportunities.
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Advisors do not assign homework for @lacrossedesign students--the students take ownership to assign themselves work at home if the work is needed and relevant. #pbl#authentic#ldi#ksedchat
A2) I used to give homework, and LOTS of it. Now, the only homework assigned is reading (usually student-selected) along with journal entries to track thinking. I assess this with daily conferences. The change has yielded Ss who actually read, FINISH, and love books! #ksedchat
A2 I do. There isn't enough time in class to cover everything. I try to grade it, but some assignments get formative grades (if it's a way to introduce them to chapter, section, etc.) & others get summative if they're follow-up of what we've been talking about in class #ksedchat
A2: Homework is a four letter word these days. I gave assignments & I always tried to give time to work in class so kids could ask clarifying questions if need be. I believe wholeheartedly that if its important enough to assign the kids should get some kind of feedback #ksedchat
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A1: Assessment looks completely different between music and science. Assessments completely drive what I teach in music and I truly believe that kids are assessed a few times a week on different aspects of music. Wish I would pretest and posttest in Science.
It is very similar to what you do but, I don't have a rubric. Ss have a final product that proves what they learned. We talk about what grades mean, what Ss would give themselves to make Ps happy., and what they really earned. Very WIP #ksedchat
A2: Always a heated topic! Since we moved away from the textbook and most items are online, I avoid homework. Students will work on projects outside of class but I try to give enough time that it could be completed w/out HW. #ksedchat
A2: Homework is only if they didn’t get our in class assignment finished. I’m not a huge fan of homework. I encourage reading every night for 20 minutes! #ksedchat
A2 I don’t give homework unless it is to bring in homework from another class so we can use a strategy on it in my class 😂 I want to work through the work with them and give them support as they need during the process #ksedchat
A2: I do issue little homework in Science and I do grade it and try to give it back the next day. If I give any homework in music it is not graded but more of a practice time. I can usually tell if my music students have done the homework #ksedchat
A2-No, and I don’t do math fact/reading logs either. We’ve worked hard all day & Ss need personal/family time. I offer suggestions if asked. I do ask they study for spelling test, but not mandated. It’s not my business to tell families what to do w/their time. #ksedchat
TBH, I feel like my Ss are fried by the time they get to me, esp my 6th hr 8th graders. They have no breaks (besides lunch). They want to talk about Soc Studies but sometimes lightheartedly, make connections w/out constant pressure of summative grades. #ksedchat
I agree, yet parents often ask and question whether their middle school student should have more homework. How are we preparing them for HS if we don't give homework? #ksedchat#notlikewhenyouwent2school
A2- Sure, I tell them they MUST be active and make healthy choices each day! 😉 But, from a parent perspective, it’s often frustrating. Often feels like free family time is being stolen! #ksedchat
Research demonstrates some homework in secondary grades can be beneficial. But excessive amounts can be harmful. It's about finding the balance. As an ELA teacher, I find that reading is the best work to take home. #ksedchat
A2: I only have one piece of homework called Article of the week, students close read an article, answer questions and write various responses. They must annotate and manipulate text. I always have quirky articles so they don’t mind. #ksedchat
It seems we are always using the next level to defend what we do at our level. I have HS colleagues who want to lecture because professors do that all the time despite research showing that variety is good. #ksedchat
I feel like sometimes they work better at home than in my class. I give them time to work on assignments in class but sometimes they want to talk about the State of the Union, the Olympics, or just about their days! So hmwk is necessary to cover material in my class. #ksedchat
I agree. As students get older it seems appropriate for them 2 have 2 work a bit outside of class. Obviously we don't want 2 overburden them, but its a realistic expectation that they are able 2 complete work outside of class. That will follow them to college & work #ksedchat
True point. I would love to see a strengthened partnerships between secondary and post-secondary institutions, and maybe foster changes at that level. But of course, I have no idea how to lead that change! #ksedchat
Technology has made collecting data so much easier. I use Socrative, Poll Everywhere, or https://t.co/VIOxeqAv7V to see S responses and/or give feedback. Also, conferencing with Ss about their work has transformed formative assessment into real learning experiences! #ksedchat
BELLWORK. Immediately pick up where we left off from the day before and clear up any misconceptions/answer any questions. Also gives students an idea of where they “should be” in the learning process #ksedchat
A3) Technology has made collecting data so much easier. I use Socrative, Poll Everywhere, or ClassKick to see S responses and/or give feedback. Also, conferencing with Ss about their work has transformed formative assessment into real learning experiences! #ksedchat
I only issue homework if the assignment is not finished during class time. I also grade on a rubric, completion, accuracy, directions, & met due date. 3-2-1 points, due date only being 1 point. Each assignment being worth 10 points. Percentages on accuracy can vary. #ksedchat
A3: I find having students use content to make analogies or metaphors to pop culture or some other topic is engaging and a good way to check for deeper understanding. Also, love google forms. #ksedchat
A3 I go over definitions of acad vocab words in chapter on Google Slides--I give definition and talk about word. Ss find a picture or synonym and add to the Slides to show they have basic understanding. During chpt we find words in reading, discuss it, then are tested #ksedchat
A3: The easiest is analyzing student work. I can easily tell if the student understands the concept or not. I want students to also know that I am there to help them understand. #ksedchat
A3) Class discussions and short writing prompts are my favorite. Then using exemplars as models to the whole class (and discussing why they were good) was one of my most effective formative activities. I am pumped to introduce our staff to @Flipgrid this upcoming Friday #ksedchat
A3) Sticky Note Exit Tickets - What “stuck” with you from today’s lesson? - Post it on the wall/door/lab station. Often I will have them pick their sticky notes back up to review/edit as bellwork the next day #ksedchat
I'm from WI, so snowball fight! Write your answer on a sheet, crumple it up, then throw it! I randomly pick up answers and read them aloud- so all responses are anonymous. #ksedchat
A4: Every day in reading class students grade one of their skill questions off a rubric. They also have to peer assess fluency checks and vocabulary sentences. I love listening to their justification of scores. #ksedchat
Q4: In music, I like having students self-assess themselves because some students are their best critics. I also have them peer-assess each other because sometimes it makes both students better, and they can take critiques from peers easier than the teacher. #ksedchat
I often share with my students the concept of 10,000 hours from the book, Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell. Music requires discipline and concerted effort to master, whether instrumental or vocal. I support and cheer them on! #ksedchat#ktoy2018
A4-I haven’t done much in 1st grade. In reading groups we are working on answering questions by restating question, then answering. We then look at responses and look for what was done well & where do we still need help. It’s going well. #ksedchat
Q4) I love when students use writing as a tool for self-reflection and assessment. This awesome kid nailed it in his post PBL blog: https://t.co/U0v5iahvxm. In short: we gotta fail to learn. #ksedchat
A4) Anytime we had a project or writing assignment that required grading on a rubric I would have students self assess themselves before they turned anything in. I wish I would have taken it a step further and conferenced with them about improvements to be made! #ksedchat
A4: The last two years I have added more reflection pieces as we get closer to due dates. Also, having Ss look at their online edits throughout a project has encouraged more self-assessment. #ksedchat
A4 I'm learning to help Ss self-assess, esp to take their assessments seriously! I try to have opportunities to reflect on work but many don't think deeply about it. Love hearing your ideas! #ksedchat
On our project proposal form, students write how they would like to be assessed- thinking about the end in mind as they begin. That question contiues to be asked throughout the project cyle. #pbl#ldi#ksedchat
Going to spend some time w/ fam before bedtime. This has truly been an eye-opening chat. I'm going to re-think some of the ways I use assessment in my class. TY everyone. Have a great week! #ksedchat
I don't look at student grades from elementary school as middle school is a fresh start. Plus, students who did well traditionally may or may not succeed in #pbl. Usually, my bigger concern is strategies to reach difficult students. #ksedchat
Grades in JH are usually indicative of those students that do their work and homework. I do believe that my grades are not indicative of what they actually know but what they show me they know. Grades should hold something that counts! #ksedchat
A5) Grades can mean a lot of things. Until we shift our thinking as a culture that anything below an A is failure and see Cs as they average they were intended and they shift from how well a Ss follows direction, they are meaningless. #ksedchat
I look at data to see yearly growth and monitor progress, I don’t pay attention to previous grades. I send on progress data for at risk kiddos to the middle school. It’s not always tied to grades though. #ksedchat
A5: I have other facets of info that helps me more. Smaller district allows for more discussion + other pieces of data give a better idea at the HS level. also, pretests and early work in class allow for a more accurate picture #ksedchat
A5) Grades seem to be more of an indicator of responsibility than understanding of content. I rarely access student’s previous grades - I have done so only for students who start to struggle - it can be helpful to see how 6th grade went #ksedchat
A1: We do IGDIs (Individual Growth & Development Indicators) three times a year, and different assessments on ESGI three times a year, as well. #ksedchat
