Thank you so much for coming to the #G2Great chat tonight.
"Celebrating Our Learners Through a Success Lens: Losing the Labels that Blind Us"
@DrMaryHoward@brennanamy@hayhurst3
Good evening, #G2Great! Justin checking in from NJ! Excited to talk about losing labels and see students (and all humans) for the complex/multinarrative beings they are.
Roman from Ontario, Canada. HS Teacher/Student Success Leader/Agent of Transformation. Great to be with #g2great to remove labels & be there for every child; every person.
Welcome friends. Mary here at the Phoenix AZ airport. I can’t wait to talk about labels with our wonderful #g2Great friends. I WILL have to board my flight before the chat is over but happy to be here
Brent from Alberta. Part time blogger and full time teacher. Ready for my favourite chat of the week with my #g2great fam! Also lets get the #wwdmhd trending :)
#g2great Hi, all! Mindi from the Chicago suburbs. My student teacher has taken over math and reading this week, and I’m having a hard time letting go of literacy instruction! #goodproblem#payitforward
Brent from Alberta. Part time blogger and full time teacher. Ready for my favourite chat of the week with my #g2great fam! Also lets get the #wwdmhd trending :)
So scary that a label can follow a student for a long time.
Visible scars.
Invisible scars.
What if the data ignores the child?
What if the data is wrong?
What if we listen to our hearts and eyes?
#G2Great
#g2great Hi, all! Mindi from the Chicago suburbs. My student teacher has taken over math and reading this week, and I’m having a hard time letting go of literacy instruction! #goodproblem#payitforward
I'm fighting the flu again but fever is broken for the time being, so I will spend a little time chatting with #g2great. I'm Leigh Anne 6th grade ELA from Indiana.
A1 Gifted, Proficient, EL, IEP, Red, Yellow, Green. A Number on a Test. A Reading Level.
All of these labels take away from student's name and precious identity.
#G2Great
So scary that a label can follow a student for a long time.
Visible scars.
Invisible scars.
What if the data ignores the child?
What if the data is wrong?
What if we listen to our hearts and eyes?
#G2Great
A1 Labels that blind us include learning difficulties, ADHD, socio-economic status, family history, behavioral problems. These labels often mask who the student really is. We need to focus on relationships & knowing their stories. Teach to the child. #g2great
A1 Scores, levels, terms (dyslexia), programs (special ed) are all labels. We break them down by viewing KIDS w/a positive lens. Use names not #s! #G2Great
A1 Roadblocks:
If a label means no expectations.
If a label means low expectations.
If a label means the S is someone else's problem.
If a label means the T can keep doing what does NOT work.
#G2Great
A1: Labels often promote a deficit discourse: what can this child not do? What are the limitations? Let’s start instead with the positives: what can we build on? What are some strengths we already see?
#g2great
#g2great A1: Almost all of the labels I’ve heard have been mentioned. It drives me crazy when I hear/see kids reduced to numbers or letters (levels or acronyms).
A1: All labels do that. A student labeled as Gifted has expectations placed they sometimes can't meet and all those labels that tell us they are something other than a S we should respect need to be tossed in the garbage. #losethelabels#G2Great
I'm fighting the flu again but fever is broken for the time being, so I will spend a little time chatting with #g2great. I'm Leigh Anne 6th grade ELA from Indiana.
A1: For my own son, the letter label on a text dictates his reading selections & plays an inappropriately strong role in defining who he is as reader. I have power as a parent, but school has more power as to what he thinks and feels as a reader. #G2Greathttps://t.co/v5CUXNobxV
A1: some labels that blind some teachers are reading level, siblings can leave a label as well as previous teacher, and even previous teachers. Need to break these blocks by encouraging teachers to kidwatch and discover who Ss are. #g2great
A1: In my Title I world, sometimes I see teachers stop trying as hard with students once they are selected for Title services. They feel it is no longer their job--it's the Title teacher's job. #G2Great
A1 The most dangerous labels are unspoken ones that reside just beneath the surface. The only antidote is to see the child starting w/strengths! #G2Great
A1: For my own son, the letter label on a text dictates his reading selections & plays an inappropriately strong role in defining who he is as reader. I have power as a parent, but school has more power as to what he thinks and feels as a reader. #G2Greathttps://t.co/v5CUXNobxV
A1: The idea that students do not know their labels and the implications is also such a nonsense claim. We need to start celebrating strengths and working on the other things as a learning community. #g2great
So very true... I think we often think of "negative" labels as being the ones we need to change. The ones that place children on a "higher" ground, quite often have similar outcomes. @suzrolander#G2Great
A1: All labels have the potential to interfere with learning especially when Ts only know/refer to kids as their labels. All educators should get to know learners as people first before boxing kids into any sort of label or category. #g2great
YES a mask and the sad thing is that kids lose and we lose too because we don’t see the amazing kids beneath those masks we forced kids to wear (and hello amazing friend) #g2great
A1 Labels that blind us include learning difficulties, ADHD, socio-economic status, family history, behavioral problems. These labels often mask who the student really is. We need to focus on relationships & knowing their stories. Teach to the child. #g2great
A1: Behavior labels make me saddest. Breaking them down begins with the approach-- lived and articulated, both-- that every day is a new start. #g2great
A1: Letters and numbers: this shifts our identify and makes round, multi-faceted people into a "thing" - also any "one word" adjective- doesn't matter if it has a positive or negative connotation: we are ALL more than "one thing." #G2Great
A1 When we allow preconceptions and misconceptions about kids to cloud our view of the child in front of us - we cheat them & we cheat ourselves. #G2Great
Very true guys. Labels whether positive in nature or negative are very restrictive and limiting. Let us just celebrate who students are, not a category! #g2great
Parent in Connecticut chiming in...
A1) Labels divide children, define them by a single aspect of their identity, and downplay their individual strengths. Perhaps label the interventions and supports, not the child. #g2great
UA all the way! MS, Developmental Reading ’99, AGC School Building Leadership ’11, AGC School District Leadership ’16, and proud member of @CapDistWP since ’06. Phew! Go Danes! #g2great
A1. too many to name them all. Any label that we use to describe a child will never show us the whole picture of who they are or more importantly what they are capable of #g2great
A1 Roadblocks:
If a label means no expectations.
If a label means low expectations.
If a label means the S is someone else's problem.
If a label means the T can keep doing what does NOT work.
#G2Great
Reluctant or struggling reader bothers me most. Aren’t we all reluctant to read things that don’t interest us? Don’t we all encounter complex texts that make us struggle? #g2great
A1: Labels often promote a deficit discourse: what can this child not do? What are the limitations? Let’s start instead with the positives: what can we build on? What are some strengths we already see?
#g2great
A2: Embracing and modeling learning as an iterative process. "Struggles" and attempts are required for growth and learning to occur. Ss begin to view their learning on a continuum and not a fixed point in time. #G2Great
A2. Focus on what Ss CAN do.
Build on strengths.
Involve Ss in goal -setting.
What do they want to work on?
What path will their learning take?
Celebrations on the rug every day!
#G2Great
A2- We celebrate growth- when Ss share their thinking, their work- we recognize individual strengths and successes- we see each other as unique individuals
#g2great
I also think honors and advanced are labels that limit our view of students. We expect them to behave a certain way, engage with the work a particular way. To some, these expectations are a burden to carry. #g2great
A2 I spend time & get to know every kid in my class. What is their story, what are their challenges. By investing time & heart, you are not only gaining trust, you are impacting the lives of others. You show them they matter; they are worth it. You build them up. #g2great
A2: We recognize and celebrate small steps toward progress both academically and behaviorally. We focus on the growth model rather than proficiency. #g2great
#g2great chat happening now. Important first question. Being mindful of how we react as educators to these labels is important to the students’ level of success.
A2: collaborative, regular reflecting on, talking about, & celebrating of the process and progress happening - these are never stagnant and always evolving and changing. #G2great
And if growth does not meet their standards they have a tendency to blame. We are all in this profession for the love of chilldren and teaching. We need to work together to break the labels on the learners that we have in front of us. #g2great
I still cringe every time a teacher says the words, “we divide them in to the low middle and high group.” I often wonder how they would feel if they were referred to as the “low” group. Very demeaning & minimizes our professional #g2great
A1. Susan from Cincinnati jumping in late.... But we label teachers too "dinosaur" "traditional" "easy" And just like with students, we lose the strengths of that person #g2great
I'm having too much fun and learning so much from #FPLiteracy community tonight. I need to hop over to #G2Great, but @DrMaryHoward would totally understand why I am late this evening.
.@drgravityg says our Ss are worthy of admiration worthy of deep study NOT glib terms that in the end are meaningless if a child is seen as a Struggler does that mean we give them more or less? Give them what they need the only label e should give anyone is learner. #G2Great
A2: Ask “What skills/strategies does the student already show?” Then ask “What is the student ready for next?” Then ask “How do I get this student to that next step?” #g2great
A2 We see what we look for. If we set our sights on strengths rather than perceived limitations it changes what we notice. Our perceptions matter! #G2Great
A2: Address the class using language that shows we can all do this: Readers, writers, mathematicians, researchers...Celebrate successes big and small! Always have students share with one another something they are proud of during their process not just end results. #g2great
It's odd how this works because there are many times when we feel that no one truly understands our world except for our co-workers. We need to have a rule that we start talking at lunch about the positives first then the negatives. #g2great
#g2great Need this chat tonight... with inclusion, feel desperate for students to succeed and forget to celebrate strengths! Flexible groups that change, celebrating out of the box thinking
A2: We just celebrate everything haha. Great writing, great reflections. Students will rise to whatever we help them achieve in their way. Celebrate each step and they will take more. #g2great#wwdmhd#iwillgetthishashtaggoing
Get students involved in the reading lives of others. When they have the chance to chat with peers, wonderful things happen. My 9th graders fell in love with picture books! #g2great
A2: Address the class using language that shows we can all do this: Readers, writers, mathematicians, researchers...Celebrate successes big and small! Always have students share with one another something they are proud of during their process not just end results. #g2great
A1: We have to avoid binaries like “low” and “high” that imply kids are somehow permanently assigned to a certain group. We need to stress growth, motion, movement. #G2Great
A2 If we're just compliant disseminators we'll never see the genius that resides in ALL kids. Critical: active engagement in real literacy events + choice! #G2Great
A2. I try to see each Ss as an individual on their own path and celebrate their successes along the way. I do a lot of formative assessment and try to give Ss feedback that is specific to their needs and follow-up to chart progress #g2great
Exactly, growth isn’t always point a to point b. Our curriculum sometimes (a lot of time) makes it seem like it should be, but we have to acknowledge and fight for the actual process of learning. #g2great
I always love this image, shared by @GeorgeCouros when discussing the process of learning! I think it embodies that imperfections are part of growth! #G2Great
A2: It's ALL about the relationships. Every child will feel celebrated if every child feels his teacher cares. Kindness, empathy, high expectations, celebrations and connections. Those things--? They'll break down any label https://t.co/2FaPaWcuCX.that. #G2great
A3: Teach Ts & Ss to cultivate their multi-narratives. #IAm#identity work to bring #equity and #justice to schools... we are the sum of all our narratives (and more). Distinguish the words "gifted" & "struggling". Replace w @KyleneBeers "striving".. all Ss are gifted #G2Great
A2- Making time to celebrate growth, no matter how great or how small! Operating with INTENTION to make sure that Ss feel successful and that their hard work is paying off daily. #g2great
A3 School culture needs to be about relationships and people. We need to believe in unlimited creativity & potential. We need to empower student voice and amplify learning. Admin needs to believe & celebrate staff so they in turn celebrate students. Lead with heart. #g2great
A3 1st we change our conversations. It's educational malpractice to complain @ kids in the Ts lounge (or anywhere else). It's an insult to our profession. #G2Great
A3- Ensure our Ss hear us speaking about them in a proud, positive manner- anytime another adult comes to my classroom door, I always glance back at my Ss working and ask the visitor, “Aren’t they amazing?!” and- without fail…they always say, “Yes!”
#g2great
Yeasssss... Or have an accountability partner, who asks us to rephrase our anger and angst into opportunity and positivity. Vent... then rephrase. #g2great
It's odd how this works because there are many times when we feel that no one truly understands our world except for our co-workers. We need to have a rule that we start talking at lunch about the positives first then the negatives. #g2great
A3: I recently heard a fellow educator refer to at-risk students as “at-promise” students. It was a good reminder that the labels we use are important. A culture change requires an honest look at how all the adults in the building perceive each and every student. #G2Great
We need to promote love of reading and include both teachers and students. I know have my students helping with this display by parent pickup! #g2great
The shift needs to occur in the Ts. From "what do I need from them" (Compliance, ease of organization, convenience) To "what to they need from me". Once we put the students before everything including the labels we can start building that strong foundation. #G2Great
A3: Quick & easy starting shift: displays that move away from one-sized-fits-all products... find ways to emphasize the process, efforts made towards goals, and the different choices made by different students all along the way. #g2great
I love that Dale. And I think that means that we have to be more cognizant of the language we use. I don’t think that it’s always meant be mean spirited but we just don’t even THINK of the impact it can have! #g2great
A3: I recently heard a fellow educator refer to at-risk students as “at-promise” students. It was a good reminder that the labels we use are important. A culture change requires an honest look at how all the adults in the building perceive each and every student. #G2Great
A3: One of my favorite rituals is to open a weekly team meeting or faculty meeting by having Ts share a bright spots that happened w/in their classrooms: something that a student or group of students did that deserves to be celebrated, recognized, and replicated. #g2great
The shift needs to occur in the Ts. From "what do I need from them" (Compliance, ease of organization, convenience) To "what to they need from me". Once we put the students before everything including the labels we can start building that strong foundation. #G2Great
A3: One of my favorite rituals is to open a weekly team meeting or faculty meeting by having Ts share a bright spots that happened w/in their classrooms: something that a student or group of students did that deserves to be celebrated, recognized, and replicated. #g2great
A2 We celebrate every aspect of reading in our classroom - from learning to abandon a bk, to finding a new author we love, to finishing a book. And I capture the moments w/ pictures for our class instagram! #g2great
A3: Keep Ss at the center of every conversation. All stakeholders must get to know each child and how they learn best. Change transpires one conversation at a time. It’s always “we” and not “I”... it takes a village. #G2great
A3: Begin with assumptions and shared beliefs. Start a conversation by asking, “What do we mean when we say ‘student success’?” The word ‘success' has too many connotations to be left unexamined. #g2great
I’m sitting here watching the chat dialogue flash across my screen & all I can think is how proud I am to be among educators so deeply committed to lifting our children higher in every possible way. I’m just so grateful for this passionate gathering! #g2great
A3: Share! The more we share the strengths and growths we see with colleagues, the more they will begin to see. Be the change, start the movement and others will follow, even if you are the lone guy dancing on the hill - #G2Greathttps://t.co/5insChPpwv
A3 Having an expectation for a gradient of success means honoring learning in all of its iterations we cannot know where our students will go our work is to help them grow. #G2Great
I agree with the sentiment but it can't just be words either. If our "at promise" kids are still in pull out, still told what to read, how to read. The only promise they are getting is one that they are still an "other" in a sea of peers that see them different. #g2great
A3: every student needs to be accepted for who they are. Create clubs, groups that everyone can participate in not just those who have good grades, are great readers, or well behaved. Need to embrace all the Ss. #g2great
A3 celebrate growth where it happens, and don't get hung up on the one assessment it didn't show up on, or the one time. Keep your head in the game and find all those glimmers! #g2great
Susie from NYC dipping in to #G2Great chat and the amazing educators who dedicate themselves each and every day to the children in front of them. #LitBankStreet
A4 Reflection. What is working?
What is not?
What do I need to do differently?
These questions guide my LEARNING in order to best meet the needs of ALL!
#G2Great
A3: It's me (w/ my rose colored glasses) but I SO prefer looking for the +s in the world around me: in & out of schools. By noticing the good, my outlook remains positive and I am driven to keep doing more, noticing more, and helping more happen. It's a win-win. #G2Great
Susie from NYC dipping in to #G2Great chat and the amazing educators who dedicate themselves each and every day to the children in front of them. #LitBankStreet
Share the positives. Make it a habit. When a students shares a success with me from another class, I go and tell that teacher. A little positivity goes a long way! #g2great
Susie from NYC dipping in to #G2Great chat and the amazing educators who dedicate themselves each and every day to the children in front of them. #LitBankStreet
A4 One size fits all teaching does not a teacher make. The children who challenge us most need us to need to align or teaching to their unique needs #G2Great
A4 The kids who challenge us the most are the ones who need the most love/attention. There is always a source to behaviors, words, actions. We need to listen, be in tune, know our kids. When our own ideas are challenged we grow as learners. We become better, stronger. #g2great
A3: we need to celebrate everyone no matter how large/small the success may be. Also don't be too heavy on cheering on the successes b/c I have seen many Ss give up b/c they are not celebrated. Too many accolades can cause problems as well. #g2great
Share the positives. Make it a habit. When a students shares a success with me from another class, I go and tell that teacher. A little positivity goes a long way! #g2great
Love how you question yourself and not the students Fran. WE are the ones who need to figure out how to help them, right from where they are. #G2Great#LitBankStreet
A4 Reflection. What is working?
What is not?
What do I need to do differently?
These questions guide my LEARNING in order to best meet the needs of ALL!
#G2Great
Susie from NYC dipping in to #G2Great chat and the amazing educators who dedicate themselves each and every day to the children in front of them. #LitBankStreet
And there are many times when just reaching out one-on-one with students with the positives has more impact then sharing it with the whole class. Keeping that positive attitude w/ each individual goes a long way. #g2great
A3: It's me (w/ my rose colored glasses) but I SO prefer looking for the +s in the world around me: in & out of schools. By noticing the good, my outlook remains positive and I am driven to keep doing more, noticing more, and helping more happen. It's a win-win. #G2Great
This is nice because a ritual or practice can help us bring those smaller daily successes into the light. Sometimes the work can be so hard that we lose sight of what’s right in front of us. #G2Great
Our most challenging students may try our patience, but I have gained so much more patience over the years from it. I am a much more calm and understanding person, and my current students reap the rewards. #g2great
A4: Ss who present me with a challenge are like a puzzle I am dying to figure out...One of my favorite quotes from Marie Clay captures this best: "If children are apparently unable to learn, we should assume that we have not as yet found the right way to teach them." #g2great
Right you are! It's about them, our role is to help them reflect. When we are specific with our feedback that is the stuff relationships are built on. #G2Great
Hey there friends! It's awesome to chat tonight with #ICEilchat and educators around the world! Come join @ideaguy42 and I as we discuss Enhancing Learning through Digital and Physical learning space! #G2great#Azedchat#mschat
A4. you can't have a growth mindset if you aren't learning from all of your interactions - our Ss are the most important voice we have to learn from. Everything that happens in the classroom is feedback. Everything. #G2Great
A3 change the beliefs change the culture. Get individual Ts to build their self efficacy and then those individual beliefs will become part of the collective efficacy of the staff. It starts with one and drives outward #g2great
A4: 2 this day the S that changed my teaching life was the one that tossed my desk on day 2, threw a chair at me screamed at me and then cried when he realized I was not willing to quit. I learned that day school is about so much more than School work. This is life work #G2Great
Our most challenging students may try our patience, but I have gained so much more patience over the years from it. I am a much more calm and understanding person, and my current students reap the rewards. #g2great
A4:Jen from OR jumping in late! The most challenging Ss force is to outgrow ourselves by making us think out of the box, see things from a diff POV and consider other possibilities. & we also might get to learn from others who we collaborate with about that S. #g2great
In reply to
@franmcveigh, @DrMaryHoward, @brennanamy, @hayhurst3
Hey there friends! It's awesome to chat tonight with #ICEilchat and educators around the world! Come join @ideaguy42 and I as we discuss Enhancing Learning through Digital and Physical learning space! #G2great#Azedchat#mschat
A4: the students who challenge us can lead us to learn what is the best approach in helping them learn. They inspire us to explore and delve into research, teaching styles/methods, publications that can help us improve as a teacher. #g2great
A4: I cannot imagine what kind of practitioner I might be if all I had were completely-compliant kids. It's not who I was as a teen. And I appreciated teachers who didn't accept my passive-aggressive nature without a little push back. I big. I can take a little "push." #g2great
A4. you can't have a growth mindset if you aren't learning from all of your interactions - our Ss are the most important voice we have to learn from. Everything that happens in the classroom is feedback. Everything. #G2Great
A4 those that are hardest to teach need us so much more than any others! We can take away so much from our experiences with them. #g2great we must PUSH ourselves to love them even more.
A5: One joyful reminder is of my little buddy Kyle who never saw himself as a reader or writer. Time, patience, listening, observing & celebrating the "small things" led to him reading his writing in front of his peers. #G2Great#LetMeShine@suzrolanderhttps://t.co/FUj9PorIf5
A5. The student who taught herself how to "code" by using the clock. Why the clock?
"Because, Mrs. M, in case you hadn't noticed, there's a clock in every room."
So important to involve students in solutions. Not just "tell" them a million times!
#G2Great
They need to know you won’t give up on them. They make it worth their time to challenge you. Make it worth your time to meet that challenge. This is imperative because it builds our stamina, patience, and resiliency like no PD ever would. #g2great
One of the sayings we use in our #G2Great voxer group is "We might be preaching to the choir, but it is the choir who needs to know the song the best."
A4: For myself, the challenging Ss have provided more growth as a teacher & person. They provide a challenge for me to meet their needs. I also find that the reward they provide is great. We make a lasting impression on each other. #g2great
A4: I cannot imagine what kind of practitioner I might be if all I had were completely-compliant kids. It's not who I was as a teen. And I appreciated teachers who didn't accept my passive-aggressive nature without a little push back. I big. I can take a little "push." #g2great
One of the worst labels/expressions for the kids who give us a little bit of a connective challenge. The one that "knocks them out?" T.K.O. or "THAT kid?! Oh." Maybe we could lift them back off the mat: "That kid's original!" #g2great
A4: The child who challenges us the most teaches us to be present for them. A child who challenges us, needs the most support often—emotionally. They need to know someone is willing to be his/her coach and cheerleader. #g2great
A5: Same student that I had to fight to keep in school, to keep from leaving aced the provincial exams that year and realized teachers are not against him. #g2great He came to visit me the next year and the next until he moved.
A child falling in love with that first book EVER. A child's first time smiling while reading, even though it's now January. Even those little successes make it all worth while. #g2great
I agree! They are the ones I have connected with when completing work-study, observing, & student teaching many many years ago. #g2great This is why most teachers stay and never leave.
A5 A struggling student who all gave up on. Labelled “unmotivated”/“lazy” student who disrupted. He became a great student, passionate about ski, applied to become a teacher. With guidance, support, he saw he is not hopeless cause. When you knew his story. So much more. #g2great
A5. One of my Kindergarten ELs used 3 complete sentences this week. Which seems small, but I've put so much work into building oral language, I was crazy excited. #G2Great
A5 Through Reading Recovery Marie Clay showed me the immense potential that resides in every child. It truly changed the way I look at teaching forever. #G2Great
A5 Go big or go home when it comes to our kids. Every teacher has to have a resilient and patient heart. The children are not responsible for our timelines or curricular goals they are cultivating their intellectual curiosity and that is our number one job. #G2Great
We had a student in class @bankstreetedu name his ss as his most powerful teacher ever. Brilliant. Oh if we listened enough to our ss... #G2Great#LitBankStreet
A4. you can't have a growth mindset if you aren't learning from all of your interactions - our Ss are the most important voice we have to learn from. Everything that happens in the classroom is feedback. Everything. #G2Great
A5: I had a student who had been given many negative labels in previous school years and during the year he said “You are the only teacher who has actually listened to me.” #g2great
I've got a former/always kid right now. I'd tweet it publicly; our ability to kibitz is special. I see a need for the screen while I can still see through it. The give and take becomes part of my practice's narrative. It writes itself each day. For you and yours too. #G2Great
A4. These are the children who live in my heart. Ea one has helped me see the world differently and step away from presumptions and privledge. #G2great
Just jumping in...I recently had a new student that introduced himself as IEP, ODD, ADHD, BD, ED, and OCD. I shook his hand and asked him his name. He lost SELF. #g2great
A5: The learners who have presented a challenge push me to to stretch my thinking & embrace new & exciting ideas. As educators, it is our professional obligation to take charge of our own professional learning and tap into our best resources. #g2great
No, just intro tonight. They will be here next week! So fun to see how the grad ss start learning...actually @TuckerAnthony is here who took my class a year ago and is doing AMAZING things in the Bronx! #G2Great#LitBankStreet
A5- Consoling a distraught student who kept repeating "Nobody loves me, I'm all alone" and when he looked up and saw me, said, "Why are YOU crying?" I said "Because I care for you"- he shrugged and smiled- 'well-that's 1 person' he said #g2great
Thanks you for sharing this Mark and jumping in my friend. It is heartbreaking that kids lose their identity to their labels. A misguided system like so many others. #g2great
Just jumping in...I recently had a new student that introduced himself as IEP, ODD, ADHD, BD, ED, and OCD. I shook his hand and asked him his name. He lost SELF. #g2great
Just jumping in...I recently had a new student that introduced himself as IEP, ODD, ADHD, BD, ED, and OCD. I shook his hand and asked him his name. He lost SELF. #g2great
A4 we have to grapple to grow. Those moments that you finally make a break through are worth the effort to get there as sometimes we are that Ss only cheerleader. #g2great
A6. Provide opportunities for
"Voice and Choice" in PD. Make sure Ts "experience" the difference. Helps them understand WHY Ss hate an 8 hour day w/ NO voice or choice!
#G2Great
A6: Each week Ss direct learning, create session topics & #facilitate conversations in #STUNConference during @MREaglesTech class. Ss choose session to attend & lead #reflections afterwards as part of the iterative process: adding - goals, facilitator tips, etc. #G2Great#choice
A5: When I get that random message from some far-off place wherein a student is serving his or her country and takes the time to say, "I'm reading out here. Thanks to you." No. Thanks to books; I'm a book pusher. And I've got a lot of reach. Seas. Deserts. Boats. Camps. #g2great
#G2Great A4 as much as I hate to admit it, discomfort is one of the best teachers, it forces us to stretch outside of our comfort and confidence and with each challenge we learn, it is when we become the student and the student the teacher that we are transformed for the better
Just jumping in...I recently had a new student that introduced himself as IEP, ODD, ADHD, BD, ED, and OCD. I shook his hand and asked him his name. He lost SELF. #g2great
Another point I think we tend to forget some times is that our students with all these labels, at the end of the day, are someones child. We are entrusted to car for them not put them in a box and ask them to stay in it #g2great
A6 Flexible student-centered design w/choice can't be something we just put in the schedule. It's a mindset that is embedded into every learning day. #G2Great
A6 I focus on not only a flexible physical environment but a full flexible learning journey. Let students choose when and how they could demonstrate learning. We don’t need to herd cattle. I want to empower curiosity, passion and amazing learning possibilities. #g2great
A5 when I started teaching I was a self contained special ed teacher. Everyday brought new challenges and new learning. I had IEPs full of the things these Ss couldn't do it was my job to find what they could do. That lesson stuck with me, find their can #g2great
#G2Great A4 as much as I hate to admit it, discomfort is one of the best teachers, it forces us to stretch outside of our comfort and confidence and with each challenge we learn, it is when we become the student and the student the teacher that we are transformed for the better
A6: Whenever possible I try to have maximum choice. I can't be the only person at the design table when they are also doing the work. Let them explore what works for them and maybe we discover the problem was never the labels but the limitations we set #g2great
It all starts with truly and genuinely knowing the students, trusting them, and thus not limiting our expectations of them. In my workshop model, the relationship leads the learning. #G2great
A5: It has been exciting to develop action plans for children with my colleagues and be present to implement it as a team! When the 💡illuminates in the child, it’s truly a team celebration!! #g2great
A6: I tweet about it a lot (I'm proud of how it's growing), but our #Room407 multigenre project #THIS407 builds in choice after choice after choice. Students get to own/explore a subject and the product through which is it presented. We see good work happening each day. #g2great
I can’t help but wonder if we actually DID some of the contrived writing we ask kids to do if it would be an instant cure. Look inward and walk in their shoes. #g2great
#G2Great A6 as a coach I’d say this is also applicable with our work with teachers, teachers are much more engaged and invested when they have choice and PD allows for different levels or access points
A5: The teaching moments that were hard-earned but I am most proud of are the ones where my Ss achieved great social-emotional growth or tapped into their motivation that had otherwise been untapped beforehand. #g2great
A6 - I would like to push a little here and say that ldrs had better be providing PD that reflects this notion if they want Ts to embrace it in their classroom. There is power in modelling expectation. #G2Great
A5: The hardest won successes can rarely be attributed to the efforts of one person working in isolation. Professionals have to share responsibility for student learning. “Our kids” is just talk until we do. #G2Great
This year working with a 4th grader who started the year rdg text level E. 52 lessons later rdg text level J. Never give up on kids no matter what! #G2Great
A6: Choice is released by modeling how a learner makes decisions when given choices. After a mini-lesson, having students return to reading/writing seats by choosing what they will work on for the independent time they have is one way. Book choice is another. #g2great
A6 Ss in my room drive their learning. We solve problems based on their interest and input. they schedule their learning, choose their seats, and decide how they learn best. Autonomy drives motivation, motivation drives effort, effort drives student outcomes #g2great
A6: Aim to build choice into every aspect of the day from what to read, what to write about, a method for problem solving, what to share with a partner. Ss should know their options and also understand how to make a choice that works for them. #g2great
A6: Choice reading time EVERYDAY for 45 mins, choice seating all day/everyday, choice about how they present projects, choice re writing topics in a genre, free choice writing ea Monday, choice re energizers... #g2Great
This year working with a 4th grader who started the year rdg text level E. 52 lessons later rdg text level J. Never give up on kids no matter what! #G2Great
A6 If we truly believe that each child is unique, then why would we ever think that one size fits all compliant dissemination makes any sense. WHY? #G2Great
Wouldn’t you know… the ONE night I was hoping my flight was late it’s right on time. I have to start boarding friends so Robo Mary is taking over w/PRE tweets. I am so grateful to every single one of you. #G2Great is just a hashtag without YOU!
Right, because our students are not ours to fix. Our charge is to create intellectual and physical environments that allow them to grow into their best possible self. Ours is to know who they are and to inspire them to think. #G2Great
A6- every day we have free reading/writing/math exploration- the creativity is astounding- the engagement is high- and we share our work- every day we hear about everything from zombies to volcanoes- camels to planets- never a dull moment #g2great
A7. When it is time to name "groups" in the room, let students choose. Don't just use ONE data point for groups. Consider how Ss will work together.
#DitchtheLabels#G2Great
A7: To use @drgravityg terminology "mine" for their strengths...they ARE there! #NeverGiveUp Show a bit of #empathy & think about if the child was yours or even you. What would you want your T to focus on? #G2Great
A6 If we truly believe that each child is unique, then why would we ever think that one size fits all compliant dissemination makes any sense. WHY? #G2Great
I think about those graduates each year for whom a family is waiting in the bleachers for their loved one's name to be called so they can respond with loud boat horns. Always for "THAT kid." They're champions for THAT kid. You know? We could have been a champion too. #g2great
A7 Try to avoid anything that creates labels. Avoid grades when possible. Do not categorize students. Use written feedback. Make it personal. Make it count. Take each student where they are. Help/inspire them to move forward. 1-1 conferences. #g2great
A6:flexible seating, choice in most everything, workshop structure, freedom to create (sometimes with glitter), immersed in quality literature with the goal of authenticity in everything we do. #g2great
I tell them- do not look at the paperwork that comes with the kids. Do not listen to their past teachers. Just get to know the students as they are...you will learn the real them. #G2great
A7: Ignore them at the start, put the file in a draw for the first few days at least. Start fresh, get to know your students. If problems arise maybe then look at their past but each year is new for us. It should be a chance at new for them too. #g2great
A7 Try to avoid anything that creates labels. Avoid grades when possible. Do not categorize students. Use written feedback. Make it personal. Make it count. Take each student where they are. Help/inspire them to move forward. 1-1 conferences. #g2great
A7 listen to the child read, talk to them about their book, get your head out of the computer and in front of the child, Marie Clay style! #G2great#rrchat@rrcna_org
A7: Always bring it back to skills. Which do they have or use and which are they ready to learn. Leads to a meaningful, collaborative, and constructive conversation about how best to support the students sitting in front of us. A letter or number does not tell us anyinfo #G2Great
A7: Ignore them at the start, put the file in a draw for the first few days at least. Start fresh, get to know your students. If problems arise maybe then look at their past but each year is new for us. It should be a chance at new for them too. #g2great
A7: Step 1: Don't discuss/describe Ss using a label (ie: My low readers) use their NAMES. Step 2: Always start w/strengths. Identify at least 3 or more things the S is able to do. Step 3: Know Ss learning styles & consider them when setting goals & next steps #g2great#g2great
A7 Why do we begin assessing so early in the year? Numbers have little meaning w/o knowledge of kids to back up or refute the number. Know kids first. #G2Great
A7 Try to avoid anything that creates labels. Avoid grades when possible. Do not categorize students. Use written feedback. Make it personal. Make it count. Take each student where they are. Help/inspire them to move forward. 1-1 conferences. #g2great
A7: A classroom has four corners. Let's name them: Living. Loving. Laughing. Learning. That's it. Four. No room for Labels or Levels. Label on the door. Levels for wobbly desks. Let's keep it at 90 degrees around the room. Living meets Learning. . .laughing and loving. #g2great
A7: Get to know the student’s interests outside of school. Know his/her strengths. Build off those. Pick ONE thing to work on at a time that will move the Ss forward—not a whole bunch of things! #g2Great
A7: A classroom has four corners. Let's name them: Living. Loving. Laughing. Learning. That's it. Four. No room for Labels or Levels. Label on the door. Levels for wobbly desks. Let's keep it at 90 degrees around the room. Living meets Learning. . .laughing and loving. #g2great
A7. "If you build it they will come" (Field of Dreams) Transform your room and your teaching to be student centered. You know your Ss better than anyone else don't let the labels distract you from your mission to educate #g2great
#g2great A7 Ss are names not numbers, Ss are stories not scores. You must look beyond the data and back at the students. There is no assessment that can measure, nor data to track, nor program that can replace the relationship between T & S.
This chat is inspiring me to add some more qualitative data to our Title I assessment menu. Perhaps some interest inventories? Reading interviews? #G2Great
Please join #G2Great next week as we discuss Purposeful Planning. How can we relinquish control and keep kids at the center of our practices? Let’s explore that question together! https://t.co/3fhVe5uQyN
Thank you so much for coming to the #G2Great chat tonight.
"Celebrating Our Learners Through a Success Lens: Losing the Labels that Blind Us"
@DrMaryHoward@brennanamy@hayhurst3
