#DITCHbook was created by Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller. The chat focuses on innovative teaching ideas and disrupting standard textbook education.
Hey there, #DitchBook friends! Matt here, author/blogger/speaker, 10+yr HS Spanish teacher. Excited to join you!
My barrier: overcoming my fears of teaching Spanish conversationally. Just had to jump in and try!
Howard from SF Bay Area. I'm special ed trained and have worked hard to become a generalist while building a full inclusion campus. So much to manage and then there's the learning piece. #ditchbook
Hey, #ditchbook! Evan Mosier, Technology Integrationist Lead Teacher from Davenport, IA joining you this evening. A barrier I've overcome is letting go of a teacher-centered classroom to student-centered! It's been awesome!
Q1:
“I’m not tech savvy” - We know technology is a major factor in Ditching. But what about tech-averse and/or those with little to no access to tech. How can we encourage teachers to still embrace other principles of ditching even with this barrier? #DitchBook
A1: I think you have to start small and kindly let them know that the shift towards digital learning is well underway. Students are more likely to become engaged in a lesson if they can use technology. #DitchBook
Hi #Ditchbook - Rebecca - UK trainee teacher and Code Club Leader.
My Barrier: trying to have faith in my Ss's with less "step-by-step" type lessons and more exploration
A1: I think the biggest part of ditching is allowing for creativity and thinking outside the box. While technology is an AWESOME factor in this Ts w/o tech can still bring new creative ideas into their teaching. #DitchBook
A1 #ditchbook I think we have to help teachers interpret the pushback Ts are already getting from students - I hear "Why don't they do their work?" and ask "Do they know why?" "Can you give them more choices?"
Q1:
“I’m not tech savvy” - We know technology is a major factor in Ditching. But what about tech-averse and/or those with little to no access to tech. How can we encourage teachers to still embrace other principles of ditching even with this barrier? #DitchBook
A1. Support, support, support. We share equipment, ideas, training, and excitement. We were not born to be tech savvy, we learned it and so can you. :) #ditchbook
Howdy #Ditchbook ! Jen, MS sci. teacher and EdTech Instructional Support Specialist from MO. My barrier: fear to try new things in the classroom. I overcame it by having a very supportive administration who also like to think "outside the box"! :)
A1: Tech is just a tool. You can be an amazing ditcher without tech. Focus on making lessons Different, Innovative, Creative, and Hands-On. Still have 4 letters to focus on :-) #DITCHBOOK
Q1:
“I’m not tech savvy” - We know technology is a major factor in Ditching. But what about tech-averse and/or those with little to no access to tech. How can we encourage teachers to still embrace other principles of ditching even with this barrier? #DitchBook
“Ditching the textbook,” to me, has always been student-centered or student-driven. Teachers who don’t have access to tech or feel comfortable using tech should work on giving their students more choice and agency in their educations, however and whenever they can. #DitchBook
A.1 Change is scary for most Ts and it's important for those of us that aren't so scared to "jump" into ditching the textbook to share our ideas and encourage others to start small and to not be nervous to learn new ways of teaching. #DitchBook
A1: Adam from@Cincy jumping in late - you can encourage others to start ditching by helping them understand their strengths. It’s not all about tech. Maybe they could transform their room, use a breakout, gallery walk, anything... #DitchBook
A1) By slyly forcing them to use it! At my school we are sending video messages to another T via @Flipgrid I just sent the email out with the link and said "go!" #DitchBook
Q1:
“I’m not tech savvy” - We know technology is a major factor in Ditching. But what about tech-averse and/or those with little to no access to tech. How can we encourage teachers to still embrace other principles of ditching even with this barrier? #DitchBook
A1: Being a "tech geek" isn't a pre-requisite for using tech in the classroom.
A little tech in the right place can make a lesson like a little salt makes a great dish! #DitchBook
A1 Start small -- baby steps you know. "Wow, look at all the trips you can save to the workroom by using Google Classroom! Yeah, amazing, I know! Wait til you see this......." #DitchBook
Q2:
“I need grades” - Report cards are still a way of life. How do we answer colleagues who fear leaving the textbook and worksheets behind will mean they have nothing as a basis for grades? #DitchBook
#Ditchbook A1: becoming a #tlap -er helped open my creativity for lessons that are not just tech-driven. I just drop a copy of "Teach Like A Pirate" to anyone who is hesitant about ditching. #inspirational
A2 Ts can still give quizzes and get traditional grades, if that's what they need. Digitize, and save time for planning more thoughtful activities.
#DitchBook
A1 A big part of ditching is just changing the status quo. How about simply skipping the text book for an active learning, student centered activity. #DitchBook
A1: you do NOT have to be savvy, just willing to try and graciously accept help from others, especially students! Let them share their knowledge and troubleshoot. THAT is something they will remember and feel like a contributing part of a classroom community. #Ditchbook
A1: there are low/non-tech ways to ditch the textbook! I've tried a few unplugged activities and it really helps Ss to form understanding of what their code is doing #DitchBook
A1: It's not the tech, it's the task. If we think about units as conceptual understanding rather than merely about skills/knowledge it's easier to move away from textbooks. Using tech to perpetuate a textbooks doesn't help. #DitchBook
A2: You can get just as much info (plus more) from a fun project as you can a test. While it may be a little harder to “grade” it’s worth it! Standards-based grading also lends itself well to different options for Ss. #DitchBook
A2) Ask about their data keeping practices. Data keeping does not = worksheets I teach K-I rarely assess with worksheets. Most data is anecdotal #ditchbook
Q2:
“I need grades” - Report cards are still a way of life. How do we answer colleagues who fear leaving the textbook and worksheets behind will mean they have nothing as a basis for grades? #DitchBook
A2: too much emphasis on grades. We need to start focusing on a growth mindset. In a Ss mind, getting a grade means learning has ended. Learning never ends. We need teachers with this mindset too. #DitchBook
A2: Teachers can still grade assignments. The bigger issue is changing those old lessons so they're more engaging with tech. This isn't reinventing anything, it's shifting towards more student engagement and further student learning. #DitchBook
A2: A grade many times stops the learning process. We need to focus on feedback and learning, not grades. Sometimes this shift is hard to make but we all need to head that direction. #DITCHBOOK
Q2:
“I need grades” - Report cards are still a way of life. How do we answer colleagues who fear leaving the textbook and worksheets behind will mean they have nothing as a basis for grades? #DitchBook
A2: A grade many times stops the learning process. We need to focus on feedback and learning, not grades. Sometimes this shift is hard to make but we all need to head that direction. #DITCHBOOK
A2 Assessment happens with or without grades. Think of the process of giving feedback as the new "grade". The relevant part of assessment still exists! #DitchBook
When we assess students, we are using a specific set of goals and objectives we want students to achieve. Make these goals and growths the focus, not the letter grade. Students will become more involved and invested in their growth, so they will stop focusing on grade. #DitchBook
A1: but also sometimes need to start with easy to understand examples. I know a lot of my less tech-loving co-trainees adore @Kahoot and @getwordwall for their classes where before they were unsure of tech use #DitchBook
And we define "savvy" as appearing to know how to do something better than we can. "Savvy" kids may have a lot of learning about media literacy and digital citizenship to do. #DitchBook
#Ditchbook Q2: Oral reports, build a model, write and illustrate a children's book or comic strip...endless ways students can still showcase knowledge w/o tech or a worksheet! best projects are the ones created on the fly when the chromebook cart is MIA. #showergems
Powerful question... I think the "I need grades" is often a response to the system and not towards what is best for Ss... break that barrier/idea first #DitchBook
A2: grades are the “way we have always done it” - not a good mindset. We need to step out of our comfort zones and allow students to get creative and show what they know through different ways. #DitchBook
A2: If we don't grade based on fact recall, what do we grade on?
Just talked about this in an episode of #DitchPod. What would assessment look like if we had Internet access all the time?
https://t.co/VELaH0xkrs#DitchBook
#ditchbook A2b I would also say it's not about not grading/assessing, but about what happens when you do assess. Is it just a label, or is it built upon for more learning...
A2: I would think most teachers do at least 1 thing that is nongraded. Ask them to question the quality and value of this work in terms of the Ss needs. Then apply that thought to other things. That might make the shift more attractive. So many Ss are sinking. #ditchbook
A2: Change Ss mindset. Grades don't mean done. Formative checks tell students what could improve. Ts need to allow Ss to make changes and resubmit. #DitchBook
Powerful question... I think the "I need grades" is often a response to the system and not towards what is best for Ss... break that barrier/idea first #DitchBook
A2: Grade growth! Grade progress and compare the student to themselves rather than one another. Students remember experiences and the process of creating a product. Those all involve processes that can be assessed through custom rubrics! #Ditchbook
Q3:
“Good is the enemy of great” Steven Covey - How do we convince colleagues who feel what they’ve always done has “worked” (or is “good enough”) that there is something greater for students?
#DitchBook
A.2 Ts who are not sure about giving grades on things that aren't black and white just need examples from others who are ditching the worksheets and should be exposed to all the possibilities of how using #edtech can show mastery. #DitchBook
I loved this episode. You've challenged me a few times recently to rethink how I assess info. This is a difficult shift in a heavy testing environment but I'm wrapping my head around it. #DitchBook
A2: Marks ideally are information/feedback for instruction & growth. Rubrics, reflections, comments, student conferences all give far more info than grades! Assessment variety is essential for growth! #DitchBook
Here's the thing with this (and I agree with John) ... as a group, do we as teachers know how to do this? And are risk-averse teachers willing to take the jump, even if it IS best for students? It's right, but it'll be slow-going getting there, I fear. #DitchBook
A3: This refers to one of my favorite quotes in education: "If we do things the way we've always done them, we will get the results we've always gotten." How can a "one size fits all" curriculum benefit different students with different ability levels year after year? #DitchBook
Hey #DITCHBOOK! Just got home from a little league game and am making dinner and trying to chat. Not sure how much chatting i'll be able to do. But at least wanted to say hi!!!
You're rocking it @hartel30!!!!!!!!!
A2 Great question! What do we want students to learn? What will that learning look like? Sound like? What kinds of artifacts show that? That's what we measure so that's what we grade. #DitchBook
It's a difficult question. Grades were always about ranking to me when I was a student, then as a teacher I thought they were measuring learning. As a parent, I wonder if they're telling me whether my child is learning or whether she is trying... so unclear! #ditchbook
A3 Think of what worked as an iterative part of how you can take it further. Expand, enrich, develop, make it artful, make it relevant to a new group. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, but put some RIMS on it, okay??? #DitchBook
A3: Students deserve a solid model of improvement. Showing how we make adjustments, add new elements, and connect with other educators to maintain our “working” lessons is important. We expect them to improve, even our high achievers, so we should try too. #Ditchbook
A3: This is a dangerous topic because some teachers don’t want to hear it. Sometimes we place our lessons on a pedastal and fear criticism. But small doses in conversation/collaborating and modeling can be start to help others change and see value. #DitchBook
A3: they know it already. Just need to be reminded. Need their batteries changed and a general refresh. We have to take care of ourselves and nourish each other. The great is always lurking and ever present.
Uncover it and journey towards it. Perhaps let kids lead
#DitchBook
A3: What if Ss thought this way? Don't we want them to be lifelong learners and always trying to improve themselves? Same for us as Ts?! Also, so unfair in the age we live in to not give our Ss the edge they need to be their best b/c Ts are comfortable w status quo #ditchbook
Q3:
“Good is the enemy of great” Steven Covey - How do we convince colleagues who feel what they’ve always done has “worked” (or is “good enough”) that there is something greater for students?
#DitchBook
A2: attempting this next Monday - getting students to create about webpages for each other rather than themselves, then feedback with basic, advanced and challenges. #DitchBook
A3: "What we've always done has always worked" = "I'm comfortable."
But it's not about our comfort. Are we willing to risk discomfort if it's best for our students? #DitchBook
A2: this can depend on the curriculum rubric but you can set up things where maybe instead of doing in segments. Get Ss to get stuck in and give each other feedback with simplified levels of rubric? #DitchBook
A3: The strongest way to motivate a teacher-in-a-rut to do something different is to SHOW them other ideas. Talk is cheap, actions do the job. If they SEE another way and receive the support to make it successful, they’ll feel more empowered to step out of the box. #DitchBook
A3: I love the quote that talks about how Ss only get each lesson once while we teach it year after year. We need to make it meaningful for them. Ss we taught our first year are different from Ss we teach now... our lessons should reflect that! #DitchBook
It is, and I still don't have all of the answers either ... but I think if we keep thinking about it, trying new things and sharing about it, that's our best chance at making real change! #DitchBook
A3 Even if this was true (I’m not buying it) the world is very different now, than it always has been. What used to work yestersay, will not be effective today. #DitchBook
#DitchBook A2: you can grade without worksheets. Get Ss writing/explaining what they learned in math, science, etc. Raise the bar. We might have to be more creative and grade differently, but we will still have evidence of their skills.
#Ditchbook A3: If Ts still give work copied from an original mimeograph, it's time for a #DITCHervention ;)
That being said, I feel encouraging PD opportunities and keeping Ts refreshed with new ideas & inspiration helps make the good into great!
A3: I always ask these Ts what they expect of students. Do you want their good enough or do you want their best? We need to give them the same. It's our responsibility as Edus. #DITCHBOOK
A3: The best persuasion is action! DO things different, BE enthusiastic & passionate, COLLABORATE. Talk, share & be a supportive, respectful colleague! #DitchBook
A3: would prob recount my experience. I came into teaching as a volunteer by chance for Code Club. At first pleased the step-by-step lessons seemed to do well. Created my own too. #DitchBook
Very true... I think it is important to value what was done before but that can't be how we demand to continue... the model A Ford was a great thing until it wasn't #DitchBook
Q4:
“There’s no ‘I’ in team” But there is in DITCH. Many teams or departments expect teachers to all be on the same page (sometimes literally). How can a teacher still find ways to be innovative and bring in aspects of ditching without alienating an unwilling team? #DitchBook
AGREE! When some Ts see what's happening next door -- and that it's getting results -- that can get through.
Blogged about that: https://t.co/FJcjyMZr9T#DitchBook
A3: but noticed something, Ss could follow a guide fine and do basic scratch/HTML functions with one - but attempting to take that away later Ss's more lost. Later understood they had not created own meaning for what blocks were doing #DitchBook
A3 Breaking out of the silos of our own classrooms. Something may have always "worked" but in comparison to what? How can we not only be effective but also efficient? And how long do students retain it? Or can apply it a year later? #DitchBook
A4: Grow their PLN via Twitter. Connect. Share ideas. Reference a spectacular little yellow book (Ditch That Textbook, I think it's called). Immerse themselves to better themselves. It's all done for the students in the classroom. Not for the neighboring teacher. #DitchBook
A4
Sometimes you have to be brave and say "I'm doing the lesson THIS way, and I'll let you know how it goes." Then turn up the enthusiasm when you describe the kids' learning.
#DITCHBOOK
A3: it IS changing. When I visit schools (as a bit of an outsider) I am blown away by the passion, innovation, - so much better than when I was in school 30 years ago.
So take heart! You all are like this:
#DitchBook
A4: SO many ways to be innovative yet cover the same content! Using tech shouldn't be looked at as a separate thing. It is enhancing teaching/learning and if they see examples of Ss and their enthusiasm maybe they will be willing to try. #ditchbook
Q4:
“There’s no ‘I’ in team” But there is in DITCH. Many teams or departments expect teachers to all be on the same page (sometimes literally). How can a teacher still find ways to be innovative and bring in aspects of ditching without alienating an unwilling team? #DitchBook
A3 I think the reason we need to change our teaching is because the world our kids are living in is SO different, even than when I started teaching... What worked 10 or 15 years ago isn't as relevant now. #ditchbook
A4: Mutual goals, multiple options for how to meet those goals depending on the specific needs of each student/classroom community/teaching style. Student choice & Teacher choice! #Ditchbook
A4: I have never understood how classes are expected to be on the “same page” every student, every class culture, every teacher is different. It would be important to share ideas, encourage risk taking small doses at a time. #ditchbook
A3) Can you convince someone with this mindset to change? Also, encourage them to observe another T or expand their PLN using teach. See other ways may inspire them to tweek their practices #ditchbook
Q3:
“Good is the enemy of great” Steven Covey - How do we convince colleagues who feel what they’ve always done has “worked” (or is “good enough”) that there is something greater for students?
#DitchBook
I'm thinking grades won't be suddenly ditched; they'll just become less and less relevant. Schools can help by not honoring kids for GPA; colleges can help by not considering GPA as a factor in admittance. Let the protests begin. #DitchBook
A2 Assessment happens with or without grades. Think of the process of giving feedback as the new "grade". The relevant part of assessment still exists! #DitchBook
#DitchBook A4 I am the department head and solo employee of the CAD, Industrial Arts, and Spanish department. I'm struggling to relate. I try to de-isolate content areas when working with my team of the 8 Ms/hs teachers we have in the building.
Q4:
“There’s no ‘I’ in team” But there is in DITCH. Many teams or departments expect teachers to all be on the same page (sometimes literally). How can a teacher still find ways to be innovative and bring in aspects of ditching without alienating an unwilling team? #DitchBook
A4: Get yourself into a small school where you’re your own department, like me! Just kidding... but, seriously, people’s passions can be infectious presented in the right way. Your teacher-colleagues share your passions and have common goals. Try it, then try again. #DitchBook
A.4 Be transparent and share your ideas with your team. Everyone might not get on the #ditchbook boat with you but we should all have the same goal which is the success of our Ss no matter how unique our the path to get them there may be. #DitchBook
I'm thinking grades won't be suddenly ditched; they'll just become less and less relevant. Schools can help by not honoring kids for GPA; colleges can help by not considering GPA as a factor in admittance. Let the protests begin. #DitchBook
A2 Assessment happens with or without grades. Think of the process of giving feedback as the new "grade". The relevant part of assessment still exists! #DitchBook
