#WVEdChat Archive
The goal of #wvedchat is to provide educators an opportunity to connect, share, and learn from others by engaging in conversations around issues and topics in education.
Tuesday April 19, 2016
WOW! Miley and I were watching the video posted. Excellent! I may try it out on high schoolers.
is a nice format too and will support you during chats.
Do I have to sing and dance? Surely someone else is here lol. If not I'm joining Looks like neat topic.
There was no tweet to signal a start to the session
yup no signal. Was waiting for that
Who is here tonight? Roll call! π
Serious? 8:00 start lol. Here we go... Thumbs up Thumbs down, share why.
there's always a signal to start any chat!
Mobile, Jason, RM for WV, teacher, TIS
Ok ok, I'm a lil rusty. I think it's been since Feb last time I hosted.
That's right Tough one to start with.
A1 Tricky one. In some cases it helps. Others not so much. Depends on student I think
Mr. G 5th Grade Kanawha Co
A1: I think this avoids real issue: measuring learning by seat time. So "reset, let's process u again" rarely works, if ever.
A1 (cont.): Had a stu score distinguished in all areas on the old WESTest2, but was retained for attendance and grades
A1: usually ππ»...but twice it was ππΌ and made all the difference for those two...
A1 π Depends on age & grade level - primary grades can benefit from maturity π on intermediate up
Hey and Great to have you again! Hey !
A1 (cont): there were 2 8th graders retained last year due to grades. This year they have made great strides
Excellent questions. If uv said it a hundred times and still no results, someone really is a slow learner
A1: Chad Pennington was retained in 8th and says it was the best thing his parents could've done for him.
A1 if I don't show up to work and do my job should I still be employed? No justice passing students on who didn't earn it
But do grades alone determine who earns it?
No Joe, it handicaps the nxt T. But again, I say we're measuring the wrong end of the lrnr if stuck on seat time.
A1: at the same time, we need to look at what we want to accomplish. If it's a punishment-baaaaaad idea.
"Let's see here, did you attend most of the 180 days? Yes, Ok move on."
A1: If we shift to proficiency grading, we can measure real learning.
Sorry I'm late! Susan Eastham, Sci teacher Wayne co.
Hi Susan! Glad you made it!
A2: Wishful thinking here, at least in WVs near future, but New Hampshire doing some real work here. Thumbs up from me!
A2: Mastery-based, proficiency-based, competency-based measures the right end of the learner.
A2: Thumbs up, but a long way to go for most places + they need to train parents with it
A2: ππΌ but I also think that then we can't be so tied to "this age is this grade" mindset. We will have to think outside the box!
A2: Have to be flexible with multi-age groups in same class/course. Flexible pacing. Seat time matters none.
I made it! April...music teacher in Boone County.
Hi April! Glad u made it... The mom in this house is on bedtime duty lol.
A3: uhhhhhh ππΌππ»ππΌππ»ππΌ
A3: thumbs up, but less certain on young primary kids taking a solely virtual class. Older kids though no problem
A3: Im mixed, tho I know there's value. The pedagogy of mst virtual courses is horrible. Hasn't been addressed n higher ed either.
A3: student have to be motivated and able to learn on that platform. Some students don't have the ability to do so...
A3 I'd say jr or sr students have to learn to get along with other people in a different learning environment.
A3: I'm fine with an online component to learning but my exp has been that online courses lack depth of learning/understanding.
I have mixed feelings also
A3 gives students the opportunity to build a cohesive bond and work together.
Definitely... Great point. The importance of a relationship doesn't disappear just b/c we go online.
A3: annnnnnnnd, although they've grown up with tech, they aren't born knowing how to format Word/what should be in presentations
A3 Now myself I love virtual classes...did my masters online and all. Group work stinks online or in classroom though!
A2: As a graduate with a degree associated with course design, I see tremendous areas for improvement in what is offered
A3: they still need to be taught how to use tech...
Man Y'all are nailing this one... I like this.
Agreed! Some still don't know HOW to GOOGLE!
A3: my county uses Plato. It's does a great job however only self motivated and smarter students do well with it
You guys are distracting me from moderating this chat! Oh boy, got to get moving!
When I was in , we used Plato for credit recovery. It was !
Productive use of & is key - not just consuming storylines https://t.co/YRCosFwZIl
A3: annnnnnnnd, although they've grown up with tech, they aren't born knowing how to format Word/what should be in presentations
A4 Thumbs down! WE NEED MORE than 18 hours!
Randy, from what I've seen... i say the same.
A4: Thumbs down! Our 18 hours tends to just be opening day stuff and not actual PD!
that's what we use it for too and summer school.
A4: ππΌ but I would like to see credit for self-designed PD! Twitter chats, conferences, trainings should all count!
A4: DOWN. Again, measuring T learning through seat time = wrong end of the learner. Status-quo loves it tho.
A4 implement CEU programs or hosting edchats or unconferences!
They can but don't read into the results & apply meaningful filters to the outcomes https://t.co/ioqXGAKfEW
Agreed! Some still don't know HOW to GOOGLE!
A4: "the moment you know everything in your field is the day you need to get out of your field" Mantra of college program director
A4: We can't stop growing!
A4: Agree with needs to count & be seen as valuable by ed leaders in WV.
This is a GREAT idea. ππΌππ½
A4 Tired of being last.....we need to change!
I would get so much credit if that were the case...
A4: won't catch fire in this state till statewide leaders & organizations turn from TALK to WALK. Lots of talk.
A4: 18 isn't enough of good PD. With bad PD, it's way too much.
A4 (cont): And so many fuss about just doing that 18 hours!
I found my tribe through switching buildings. So much more my own person and a stronger teacher for it.
With a small staff, even tougher. I think about it often. Have seen some success recently tho.
don't know what to suggest for others? Morale boosting, a dedicated leader?
A4: If it's good, 2 hours would move the needle further than 20 bad hours.
I wonder if the state's budget issues will open counties up to the idea of PD credit for Twitter & edchats.
where are all the emojis coming from?
A4 (cont'd) I like when I can pick my hours for it, like with my TIS certification and needing 40 each year
A5 Thumbs up! We need to know where we've been and where were going!
teachers have to be engaged just like students. Sometimes the motivator has to be extrinsic to start.
If any ed ldrs willing to go out of box, it wld save $$. And ESSA allows use of Title 1 & 2 funds to pay edus for it.
Our keyboards have globe icon in the bottom left. When u tap that, u can have alternative keyboards. Ss showed me.
A5: Yes, but only if it's meaningful and helpful to the teacher, and not just demeaning or ticking off boxes...
Same here man haha.. are those people really on mobile?! I commend thee! LOL
A5: ππΌππ»Uhhhhh.... Everyone needs feedback BUT...
current fed. mandates say Title I funds have to be tied to Reading & Math for PD expenditures
Hello . Joining in late tonight. Had an awesome group of Ss recognized at our BOE meeting & just getting home.
A5: I use thumbs up/thumbs down so much that I receive them from time 2 time without prompting.
When done correctly, ππ» as a means to feedback. Principals have so much on their plate https://t.co/a0KkGNqtPd
A5: T eval or T improvement shld be more frequent than annual, rather, ongoing. Feedback more imp than formal eval.
A5: the system is heavy on the workload on admins. No reward for improvement. Only punishment for unsatisfactory.
not "official" mandates, but suggested very strongly
A5: T eval is needed, but only if it is beneficial & leads to growth!
My man doing some awesome things with
yes please share! Such and important message!
A5: The formal eval moves the needle for Ts very little IMO. No evidence provided, archaic text based system. Status-quo loves it.
A5 (contd): Speaking of evals & evidence, WVEIS is not friendly when Ts need to demonstrate evidence. That system needs fixed!
needs to be dropped for something else entirely!
Well that too... it's not teacher friendly at all and our Ts hate it!
A5- evaluation is not a good tool as it is down now. Nobenefit of trying hard to be the best you can be.
Enjoyed the chat...have to go play plumber since my shower won't turn off!
WVEIS is so old and outdated and it was homegrown. Needs to be gone!
Q5 more hoops from suits. I see no value in it..
A5-Neither Ts or Admins want distinguished on evaluation. Too much of a hassle to document
On the user side, it's not friendly to Ts. Hard to find stuff, too many scroll bars within bars, etc
Q5 another nail in the teachers teaching coffin
A6: I never formally said no to HW but I haven't given any since going & standards-based. Down for me.
A5: prob take a fortune to change WVEIS
A6: I'm pretty sure there was a reason I didn't give homework in 4th grade most nights... :)
I am a Teacher/user. I understand complaints, not my highest personal priority for improvement.
A6: ππ» if they work 8 hrs at school, do they want to bring it home too?
A6-practice makes permanent. Trying to unlearn something you practiced wrong at home is much more work than doing it at school
A6: my only HW was what they didn't finish in class...even projects were given class time.
Or the parents who would teach it wrong or fuss if the kid didn't do it their way
A6 Confession: I used to trade-grade HW. Wow. Throw lettuce & tomatoes my way.
A6: MAXIMUM 25 high school math problems a night is my rule, even in Honors. Check in online for students at 8pm.
A6-Parents are not teachers. Homework is a big drag in a busy child's life.
Trade-grade isn't allowed anymore even if you wanted to still do it that way
I see it all the time, so that isn't anything official in state code
Isn't allowed? Rachel, you don't believe no one still does it do you? :)
Honestly, I did it b/c that's how my math Ts did it when I was in school. https://t.co/eI98fN0Jng
Trade-grade isn't allowed anymore even if you wanted to still do it that way
Our district has told us it's not legal. I forget the policy quoted. Deals with student privacy & grades
πpoverty, divorce, drugs, etc. Ss have so much baggage, HW not a priority. Doesn't work for my group
Don't doubt that one bit. It's horrible practice!
A7: as a student I lived for them, as an educator ππ»ππ»ππ»
ππ» what do they convey?Not an effective means of feedback but good luck changing the communities mindset. https://t.co/ISLd7KjwOx
A7: Letter grades are too subjective to the person assigning them; Proficiency grading shows skill mastery so much better!
A7: letter grades can be extremely subjective and do not necessarily measure what you know!
A7-Letter grades are a difficult call. Not a good reflection of learning but wanted by parents and colleges. They are familiar
A7: Doesn't tell specifics about what was mastered that term. A in one class varies entirely from A in another class
TRUE. Poor communication, stretch to say it communicates much at all. Hope to see a shift in my lifetime.
A7: I hear whisper a big about standards-based grading every once in a while. We must improve communication of lrng.
A7: I love connecting grades 2 standards. Spent time showing people where standards are so they can look 4 mastery 2
A7: Not sure what others are doing, but my son gets standards based grades in Grade 2 in
Curious to see if that lasts beyond 2nd grade. I hear a lot stop then.
A7-more time consuming to grade that way. Not all Ts are fans of standards based grading
oh, I got I. So much trouble 4 this, violates confidentiality. B careful!
, parents of kids who do well in school are emotionally tied to letter grades. It's a means to rank order kids.
Very big problem with consistency, fairness... Mixed bag at best. I agree!
it does currently; some higher-ups want to expand it, but code doesn't allow it
Yes that one! That's the one that makes it illegal.
As you can tell, I didn't hold back much on these... Just wait for this last one. Coming up.
Nice... Very interesting!
I'm not sure how to evaluate without it π
A8: oh my, you ain't playin' here. Bowing out of this hot potato!
A8: Those who are in it just for themselves will find ways to cheat the system for the extra pay
A8: my only worry is subjectivity with personality conflicts with admins and faculty...
A8 πππ Unless applied to all educators - state super down.
A8-Merit pay causes hard feelings and teacher favoritismππ»
ππ»ππ»As an administrator I say absolutely, reward teachers who put in extra time and are effective! https://t.co/PlWxv6F2fb
Puts emphasis on feedback over lttrs. What's diff n 84 or 85 n terms of relation to specifc target? Lots to thnk abt.
A8: Thumbs down. Great for those who get it, but so many ways it can be abused
A8: Truly hard to measure (quantify) effectiveness, but I think even the avg ed ldrs can see it.
Or simply work harder 4 extra pay, after school tutoring, alt schools, etc. I work a lot, hopefully not cheating!
how do u know I'm not putting in extra time at home?
A8 As says, the gap btwn lst effective Ts & most effective is a cavern, not a sliver. But to put numbers to it...?
Evidence Susan. Evidence. & u can curate that lrng with little effort. That cld be evidence of ur work.
as a TIS I can see it. No one changes the way they teach in front of me
WOW! I commend everyone that stuck w/ it tonight! I very much appreciate it. Take deep breath now! Thanks for sharing & THINKING
Thank you for allowing me to serve the community tonight! We'll do it again n 2 weeks as leads the chat.
Learning and effectiveness can be measured
A8-Teachers that put on a "show" only have about 45 minutes of good material. They really start squirming if you stay longer.
Been a good 1 - enjoyed it
thanks for allowing me to participate. I will put this on the schedule as a regular visit if welcome
thanks Derek it was fun! I really enjoy these chats!
Ray, it was awesome having you here! Thanks so much man! I do hope u come back.
Great chat everyone! Final call for proposals for WVSTC is April 29! Get them in! And/or register to attend!
Mrs. Frost thanks for introducing me to chats in our class! I love them!
Sorry I was late. Glad I made it though. Another great chat
not sure what the answer is for this one. so much emphasis on grades at hs (graduatuon, college $$)
No problem Chrystalle! Glad u could make it too! The conversation was terrific!
