This blog offers information, and connections to nurture recent graduates. We welcome your participation on this and on our Facebook Page. The NTC continues to be deeply grateful to MEDITECH for its long history of support for this program. Over the years, MEDITECH has made it possible for the New Teacher Community to serve a vital role in helping our graduates to persist in a challenging, yet deeply rewarding profession.
The
New Teacher Community is thrilled to offer a mini-grant opportunity for Lesley
University alumni novice teachers. The purpose of this program is to provide
financial support to improve your teaching.
Funds
may be used for such things as:
•Classroom supplies for specific
projects and curriculum enhancement;
•Teacher enrichment and professional
development, such as attending a conference or mini-course;
•Membership in a professional
organization;
•Educational apps connected to your
curriculum.
Priority
will be given to first-time applicants and teachers who are in their first five
years of full-time teaching after receiving their degree from Lesley.In general, successfully funded applications
are well written and provide all information asked for.Please limit your request to no more than
$400.00 in funding support.
Applications
for the mini grants are accepted in one cycle during each academic year. The application due date is January 31, 2015 and all
receipts for funds awarded must be submitted by June 30, 2015. Copy and paste the application below, complete the entire application and submit it via the email
address below or through the U.S. mail by the due date.
Mail to:
Nancy Roberts
Lesley University
GSOE Field
Placement/New Teacher Community
29 Everett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Email as an attachment(with
Mini-Grant in the subject heading) to either:
2.Newteacherscommunity@lesley.edu (Please type the address carefully---The email address is newteacherscommunity with an “s” after teachers)
Contact:Andi Edson, Director of the New Teacher Community (aedson@lesley.edu) via email
if you have questions about this opportunity. Please note that there are two
pages for this application.
Read and Follow: Our Facebook page for wonderful fully-funded professional development opportunities and travel trips for teachers! ******************************************************************************
2014-2015 New Teacher Community Mini-Grant
Application
How will you evaluate the
outcome of this project?
Your proposed budget:
(Attach an additional page if
necessary.Please be specific about
where you hope to purchase these materials should you be awarded the
funds.If you are applying for funding
for a conference, a course or membership in an organization, please be specific
about what the funds will cover and send us specific follow-up and background information.)
What's the biggest piece of advice you would share with an aspiring teacher?
"Network,
network, network. Connect yourself to great teachers, and stay
connected. I've been a networked teacher from the start of my career. In
recent years there has been an exponential growth in the number and
quality of teacher networks"
Follow this wonderful conversation on NPR ED. The comments that follow (look at the link are eye-opening, reaffirming, and thought-producing).
When we began our 50 Great Teachers series, we set out to find
great teachers and tell their stories. But we'll also be exploring over
the coming year questions about what it means for a teacher to be great,
and how he or she gets that way. 50 Great Teachers
To get us started, we gathered an expert round table of educators
who've also done a lot of thinking about teaching. Combined, these
teachers are drawing on over 150 years of classroom experience:
Ken Bain is president of the Best Teachers Institute and author of What the Best College Teachers Do.
He taught U.S. history on the college level for nearly 50 years — at
the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University,
New York University and elsewhere.
Troy Cockrum
is director of innovative teaching for a K-8 school in Indianapolis. He
hosts a podcast on the flipped classroom, and is the winner of a
2013-2014 Jacobs Educator Award for using technology to support
innovative learning.
Eleanor Duckworth is a
research professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a
former elementary school teacher with an approach to teaching and
research grounded in her study with psychologist Jean Piaget.
Renee Moore
is a high school and community college English teacher, a National
Board Certified teacher, a member of the board of directors of the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and co-chair of its
certification council. She also blogs for the Center for Teaching Quality.
Jose Vilson is a math educator for a middle school in New York City. He's a blogger and the author of This Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education.
What qualities make a great teacher?
Renee Moore: The
Hebrew word for teach has, among its meanings: to aim or shoot like an
arrow, to point like a finger, to flow like water. The word reminds me
of what parents do when we teach our child to ride a bike. The first
time, we may ride with her or turn the pedals. Next time, we steer while
she pedals. Finally, the moment comes when we balance her, aim her down
the sidewalk, push her off and let go. Great teachers do that: They
start or move the minds of their students along a path, prepare them for
the journey and propel them into the future. And they do it
consistently and passionately. Ken Bain: ... I
think we have to avoid the temptation to define everything in terms of
what the teacher does to the student. Sometimes, as the title of a wonderful book put it, we teach best with our mouth shut.
I
think about the way my youngest grandson is learning to ride a bicycle.
It actually isn't the way Renee describes. Rather, his parents bought
him a balance bike when he was barely 3 years old, and simply gave it to
him. He then figured out how to balance himself on it entirely on his
own. ... Sometimes, great teaching happens when we simply provide the
resources and challenges and get out of the way. Eleanor Duckworth: Getting people to think about what they think, and asking them questions about it, is the best way I know how to teach.
How do you know that you're having an impact? Jose Vilson: The kids tell me, whether I want to hear it at the time or not. Moore: I've taught my entire career in the rural Mississippi Delta, in small schools in small towns. As we used to say at Bread Loaf[the
writing school of Middlebury College in Vermont, where Moore earned a
master's degree in literature], I "inhabit the consequences" of my work.
After 25 years, I'm surrounded by my former students, their families,
and I'm now working with some of their children. I've had so many come
or write back to tell me the impact I had on their lives. Among my most
precious things are letters, handmade plaques and signs, and other gifts
from grateful students. One wrote me from jail just to say, "Mrs.
Moore, it's not your fault ... "
What kind of training and experience makes a great teacher?
Bain: I
know I'm going to get pushback on this, but I think one of the major
problems we face in cultivating great teachers is that we don't pay
enough attention, especially in K-12, to the learning of the teacher. We
should help them develop the dynamic powers of their minds and should
continue to do so throughout their lives.
Second, we should
help them develop an understanding of some of the major ideas coming out
of the research and theoretical literature on what it means to learn,
how the human mind works, and all of the personal and social forces that
can influence learning. This is a dynamic field with lots of important
research and ideas emerging almost constantly, and the training and
experience of a great teacher has to include the opportunity to explore,
understand and apply the ideas and information that is emerging.
Finally, great teaching includes the ability to give good feedback and to make assessments. Vilson: It really depends on the environment
around the teacher. ... With more experienced staff, it's important to
get beyond the humdrum PDs [professional development opportunities] and
get into something truly transformative, which is hard to find. That's
why so many of us have to seek out PD opportunities both on and offline
on our own time, past the meetings and opportunities provided by our
school. Moore: There is so much in teaching
that would be best learned through apprenticeship, rather than the
current system of leaving most new teachers to trial-and-error their way
through. The teachers who become great or master teachers seek out the
help and PD they need, as Jose mentions, but I agree with the work of
Deborah Ball and others that we know enough about teaching that we can,
and should, be much more systematic in sharing that collective wisdom
with our newest members.
Also, Ken is correct about the
importance of being able to assess student learning and give timely,
appropriate feedback. The current overemphasis on test preparation and
other misuses of standardized testing have taken much of this critical
professional skill out of the classroom and away from teachers.
How has the definition of great teaching changed over time? How do you expect it to change in the future?
Vilson: The
definition hasn't changed much over time, but the stereotype of it
certainly has. The idea of raising test scores, being young and bringing
a new set of ideas is different from the elder statesmen and women that
comprised most of my ideas of great teaching growing up. Great teaching
seems to reflect whatever the mode of education reform we're in at the
time. Bain: I'm afraid I'm going to have to
disagree here. I think there has been an enormous change in the way we
define great teaching. In the old days, we often defined it in terms of
performance on the part of the teacher. I'm afraid those old definitions
still persist in the minds of some people. We had certain notions about
great performances in the classroom, and we looked for those
performances. In the emerging definition of great teaching that I've
been suggesting here, some of us are now thinking of it in terms of
learning and the facilitation of learning. Moore: And
I disagree with Ken. Great teachers (and the students and parents they
serve) have always defined great teaching in terms of the long-term
effects on their students. ... Your response suggests that the impetus
for deeper learning on the part of teachers has come from the top (e.g.,
higher ed researchers) down to classroom teachers, when in fact, the
greatest movement has been among teachers ourselves. Bain: I'm
really not suggesting a top-down model at all. I'm just recognizing
that the research on human learning over the last half-century in
particular has had an enormous influence on how we define teaching and
how we understand what it takes to cultivate someone else's learning.
Some important aspects of that research have been done by classroom
teachers on all levels, so I'm not seeing much room for a "Us" and
"Them" or top-to-bottom way of understanding this.
Who should not be a teacher?
Moore: Anyone who cannot listen or learn from others, including his or her students. Vilson: Anyone who can't take critique and isn't willing to center their visions on the students. Troy Cockrum: Someone
who is not passionate for why they are in education. Students are not
widgets. You can go to a job every day producing or designing widgets
and do a good job at it even if you aren't passionate for what you do.
Students deserve more. Students should be treated and respected as
individuals, and only a passionate educator can do that.
Who, in your life, has embodied great teaching?
Duckworth: I
danced ballet for six years, but I quit when I was 15 because I thought
it wasn't a serious way to spend one's life. I was a very serious young
woman. When I was 58, I finally got the courage to try again. Margie
Gillis [a modern dancer and choreographer] was a great teacher of mine.
My
first workshop with her was a weeklong class that had people ranging in
age from 16 to 72 and in experience from total beginner to New York
professionals. There were 35 people in the class, and it was a peak
experience for everybody. She gave us exercises — such as, cross the
floor as delicately as you possibly can — which we all did at whatever
level we could, and we did them side by side. It was really
extraordinary teaching. Moore: I've been
blessed to have had several great teachers in my life, starting with my
father, who first taught me to love learning itself. Among my
schoolteachers, the great ones included: Mrs. Bailey, a tall, elegant
black woman who was the principal of our elementary school. She was one
of the first educators I encountered who genuinely believed every child
could learn, and would inspire us to attempt things we thought
impossible. Another was Dixie Goswami, the director of the writing
program at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, where I
earned my M.A. Dixie not only taught us how to write, but also the
tremendous transformative power of literacy for us and our students.
Well into her 80s and still teaching, Dixie continues to inspire me (and
push me) to make a difference, not just a living. Vilson: If
we just focus on my time as a teacher, the best ones I know include
Mrs. Ruff, a sixth-grade teacher whose classroom management was based on
civil rights and empowerment. [Vilson also named Moore and suggested
her for this round table].
How important is it to share some of the background and experience of your students?
Moore: Having
some common experiences or understanding of my students' backgrounds
was always helpful to me in my work with high school students because I
taught in 100 percent African-American schools. The black students
needed to see that it is possible to master the use of standard English
without turning into a white person. But when I began teaching at the
college level, I realized it was also important for the white students
to have a highly accomplished African-American English teacher, because
so many of them needed that model to counteract what they had been
taught and told all their segregated lives.
What in your personal experience or biography helped make you a better teacher?
Cockrum: I
come from a media production background. While that express experience
may not have made me a better teacher, the need in the field to be
innovative, creative and technologically advanced has given me the
needed skills to bring those to education. Vilson: Everything,
but especially growing up in a poor neighborhood and gaining access to
private education, because I brought some of the ethos and expectation
from my upbringing to my classroom. Moore: I
agree with the others on this, and have often said that teaching is the
consummate profession. A highly accomplished teacher draws on everything
s/he knows and has ever done to do the creative, dynamic work that is
teaching. Among the experiences that helped me most were my background
as a freelance journalist, and as a parent (I've raised 11 children —
was a 30-year-old mother of four when I started teaching). Duckworth: I was Piaget's student in Geneva. From
Piaget I got the theoretical view that no one can know exactly what
meaning somebody else has made. Words can express it to some extent, but
you can't assume anybody is making the same meaning as you are, and
everybody has their own path.
The other thing I got from them
was the way of talking to kids. I learned from [Piaget's research
partner Barbel] Inhelder about getting kids interested in what you want
to talk about, and not giving them any hints.
How do you improve on the job?
Cockrum: I
attend four or five conferences a year, sometimes more. Presenting at
conferences also provides me the opportunity to reflect on my own
practice. I'm connected online through Twitter and other social media,
to keep myself connected to my PLN [personal learning network]. I make
sure to balance my face-to-face professional development with my online
professional development. I model for my students the act of being a
constant learner. What's the most important lesson you learned when you were just starting out? Vilson: Stop
taking things so personally, Jose. And if you break down emotionally
one day, rest up the rest of the afternoon, go to sleep early, and get
into school early the next day. Don't take the day off unless you're
absolutely sick or something important is happening. Cockrum: I
had a student come to me during her break period very upset. She vented
about a problem she was having and really struggling with. I kept
trying to interject advice to help her solve the problem. Finally, she
said, "Mr. Cockrum, I don't want advice, I just want someone to listen."
I regularly remind myself: Students just need someone to listen. While
advice can be helpful, the most beneficial thing I can provide in most
situations is just to listen. Bain: I'd just
say that we have to learn constantly, about our students, their
learning, our subjects, their society and lives, and so forth, and we
just have to take advantage of all the opportunities we have to learn.
All of the things that my colleagues have mentioned are important, but
I'd emphasize three: Read, listen and talk. Read everything you can
about learning and about your subject. Engage in conversations with
other people who are also exploring the questions, ideas and
information.
What's the biggest piece of advice you would share with an aspiring teacher?
Duckworth: One of the important qualities is to be able to listen well. And a teacher needs to believe in their students. Moore: Network,
network, network. Connect yourself to great teachers, and stay
connected. I've been a networked teacher from the start of my career. In
recent years there has been an exponential growth in the number and
quality of teacher networks. Most of these are grass-roots, vibrant and
vital. Some great examples include: Center for Teaching Quality's Collaboratory,English Companion Ning, Classroom 2.0, K12Online Conference,
and hundreds of teacher-initiated and -maintained Twitter chats
(#engchat, #sschat, [social studies], #scichat, #tlpchat [teach like a
pirate] ...). Find the regularly updated list HERE.
(From WeAreTeachers.com and posted on BuzzFeed Community)
As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re thankful for our families and our
many blessings.But as teachers, there are a few extra things for which
we are thankful. So here’s a list!
This post was created by a user and has not been vetted or endorsed
by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. It is also not paid advertising.
BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone can post awesome lists and
creations. Learn more or post your buzz!
This is a truly wonderful conference! Don't miss it! It is well worth writing substitute plans for!
Just For New Teachers Conference
MTA’s Just For New
Teachers (JFNT) 13th Annual Conference presents the perfect opportunity
to meet with fellow educators. This one-day conference, brought to you
by MTA’s New Member Committee, will offer workshops on classroom
management and instruction, teaching English language learners and legal
basics.
New this year is a free interactive workshop, The Skin that We Speak: Exploring Culture and Language in the Classroom and Beyond,
presented by Beau Stubblefield-Tave, a principal in the Center for
Cultural Fluency. DATE: Friday, December 5, 2014
LOCATION: Sheraton Four Points, 1125 Boston Providence Turnpike, Norwood, MA
WHO CAN ATTEND: Just for
New Teachers is open to MTA members in their first four years of
practice. Members of the Student Education Association of Massachusetts
(SEAM), are also invited to attend at no charge.
inShare6930120 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers
by Miriam Clifford This post has been updated from a 2011 post.
There is an age old adage that says “two heads are better than one”.
Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and
Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?
Yes, those two were of course Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.
Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking
and preserve information for longer times than students working
individually. Why is this so?
Groups tend to learn through “discussion, clarification of ideas, and
evaluation of other’s ideas.” Perhaps information that is discussed is
retained in long term memory. Research by Webb suggests that students
who worked collaboratively on math computational problems earned
significantly higher scores than those who worked alone. Plus, students
who demonstrated lower levels of achievement improved when working in
diverse groups.
Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher
level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students
working individually.
Many consider Vygotsky the father of “social learning”. Vygotsky was
an education rebel in many ways. Vygotsky controversially argued for
educators to assess students’ ability to solve problems, rather than
knowledge acquisition. The idea of collaborative learning has a lot to
do with Vygotsky’s idea of the “zone of proximal development”. It
considers what a student can do if aided by peers and adults. By
considering this model for learning, we might consider collaboration to
increase students’ awareness of other concepts.
What are some ways to include best practices for collaborative learning in our classroom?
1. Establish group goals
Effective collaborative learning involves establishment of group
goals, as well as individual accountability. This keeps the group on
task and establishes an unambiguous purpose. Before beginning an
assignment, it is best to define goals and objectives to save time.
2. Keep groups midsized
Small groups of 3 or less lack enough diversity and may not allow
divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create
“freeloading” where not all members participate. A moderate size group
of 4-5 is ideal.
3. Establish flexible group norms Research suggests
that collaborative learning is influenced by the quality of
interactions. Interactivity and negotiation are important in group
learning. In the 1960’s studies by Jacobs and Campbell suggested that norms are pervasive, even deviant norms were handed down and not questioned.
If you notice a deviant norm, you can do two things: rotate group
members or assist in using outside information to develop a new norm.
You may want to establish rules for group interactions for younger
students. Older students might create their own norms. But remember,
given their durable nature, it is best to have flexible norms. Norms
should change with situations so that groups do not become rigid and
intolerant or develop sub-groups.
4. Build trust and promote open communication
Successful interpersonal communication must exist in teams. Building
trust is essential.Deal with emotional issues that arise immediately and
any interpersonal problems before moving on. Assignments should
encourage team members to explain concepts thoroughly to each
other.Studies found that students who provide and receive intricate
explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Open communication
is key.
5. For larger tasks, create group roles
Decomposing a difficult task into parts to saves time. You can then
assign different roles. A great example in my own classroom was in
science lab, fifth grade student assumed different roles of group
leader, recorder, reporter, and fact checker. The students might have
turns to choose their own role and alternate roles by sections of the
assignment or classes.
6. Create a pre-test and post-test
A good way to ensure the group learns together would be to engage in a
pre and post-test. In fact, many researchers use this method to see if
groups are learning. An assessment gives the team a goal to work towards
and ensures learning is a priority. It also allows instructors to gauge
the effectiveness of the group. Changes can be made if differences are
seen in the assessments over time. Plus, you can use Bloom’s taxonomy to
further hone in on specific skills.
Individuals should also complete surveys evaluating how well the
group functioned. “Debriefing” is an important component of the learning
process and allows individuals to reflect on the process of group
learning.
7. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment Many studies such as those by Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins have
considered how cooperative learning helps children develop social and
interpersonal skills. Experts have argued that the social and
psychological effect on self-esteem and personal development are just as
important as the learning itself.
In terms of assessment, it may be beneficial to grade students on the
quality of discussion, engagement, and adherence to group norms. Praise
younger groups for following collaborative learning standards. This
type of learning is a process and needs explicit instruction in
beginning stages. Assessing the process itself provides motivation for
students to learn how to behave in groups. It shows students that you
value meaningful group interactions and adhering to norms.
8. Consider using different strategies, like the Jigsaw technique.
The jigsaw strategy is said to improve social interactions in
learning and support diversity. The workplace is often like a jigsaw. It
involves separating an assignment into subtasks, where individuals
research their assigned area. Students with the same topic from
different groups might meet together to discuss ideas between groups.
This type of collaboration allows students to become “experts” in
their assigned topic. Students then return to their primary group to
educate others. Here are some easy steps to follow the Jigsaw approach. There are other strategies discussed here by the University of Iowa, such as using clusters, buzz groups, round robin, leaning cells, or fish bowl discussions.
9. Allow groups to reduce anxiety
When tackling difficult concepts, group learning may provide a source
of support. Groups often use humor and create a more relaxed learning
atmosphere that allow for positive learning experiences. Allow groups
to use some stress-reducing strategies as long as they stay on task.
10. Establish group interactions
The quality of discussions is a predictor of the achievement of the
group. Instructors should provide a model of how a successful group
functions. Shared leadership is best. Students should work together on
the task and maintenance functions of a group. Roles are important in group development. Task functions include:
Initiating Discussions
Clarifying points
Summarizing
Challenging assumptions/devil’s advocate
Providing or researching information
Reaching a consensus
Maintenance involves the harmony and emotional well-being of a group.
Maintenance includes roles such as sensing group
feelings, harmonizing, compromising and
encouraging, time-keeping, relieving tension, bringing people into
discussion, and more.
11. Use a real world problems
Experts suggest that project-based learning using open-ended
questions can be very engaging. Rather than spending a lot of time
designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday
problems. Real world problems can be used to facilitate project-based
learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.
12. Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Design assignments that allow room for varied interpretations.
Different types of problems might focus on categorizing, planning,
taking multiple perspectives, or forming solutions. Try to use a step-by
step procedure for problem solving. Mark Alexander explains one generally accepted problem-solving procedure:
Identify the objective
Set criteria or goals
Gather data
Generate options or courses of action
Evaluate the options using data and objectives
Reach a decision
Implement the decision
13. Keep in mind the diversity of groups
Mixed groups that include a range of talents, backgrounds, learning
styles, ideas, and experiences are best. Studies have found that mixed
aptitude groups tend to learn more from each other and increase
achievement of low performers. Rotate groups so students have a chance
to learn from others.
14. Groups with an equal number of boys and girls are best
Equally balanced gender groups were found to be most effective. Some
research suggests that boys were more likely to receive and give
elaborate explanations and their stances were more easily accepted by
the group. In majority male groups girls were ignored. In majority
girl groups, girls tended to direct questions to the boy who often
ignored them. You may also want to specifically discuss or establish
gender equality as a norm. This may seem obvious, but it is often
missed. It may be an issue you may want to discuss with older students.
15. Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.
At the beginning of a project, you may want to give more direction
than the end. Serve as a facilitator, such as by gauging group
interactions or at first, providing a list of questions to consider.
Allow groups to grow in responsibility as times goes on. In your
classroom, this may mean allowing teams to develop their own topics or
products as time goes on. After all, increased responsibility over
learning is a goal in collaborative learning.
16. Include different types of learning scenarios Studies suggests
that collaborative learning that focuses on rich contexts and
challenging questions produces higher order reasoning. Assignments can
include laboratory work, study teams, debates, writing projects, problem
solving, and collaborative writing.
17. Technology makes collaborative learning easier
Collaboration had the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities. Try incorporating free savvy tools for online collaboration such
as Stixy, an online shared whiteboard space, Google groups, or Mikogo
for online meetings. Be aware that some research suggests that more
exchanges related to planning rather than challenging viewpoints
occurred more frequently through online interactions.
This may be because the research used students that did not know one
another. If this is your scenario, you may want to start by having
students get to know each other’s backgrounds and ideas beforehand on a
blog or chat-board.
18. Keep in mind the critics
As with any learning strategy, it’s important to have a balanced approach. Cynics usually have a valid point. A recent New York time article,
cites some criticism of collaboration for not allowing enough time for
individual, creative thinking. You may allow some individual time to
write notes before the groups begin. This may be a great way to assess
an individual grade.
19. Be wary of “group think”
While collaborative learning is a great tool, it is always important
to consider a balanced approach. At times, group harmony can override
the necessity for more critical perspectives. Some new research suggests that groups favored the more confident members. Changing up groups can help counter this problem.
20. Value diversity
Collaborative learning relies on some buy in. Students need to
respect and appreciate each other’s viewpoints for it to work. For
instance, class discussions can emphasize the need for different
perspectives. Create a classroom environment that encourages
independent thinking. Teach students the value of multiplicity in
thought. You may want to give historical or social examples where
people working together where able to reach complex solutions.
By definition learning is social in nature. Using different mediums,
whether it be books, discussions, technology or projects we study and
develop new ideas. We impart ideas and share perspectives with others.
Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is powerful
tool that can allow educators to tap into new ideas and information.
This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad
