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This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort. - By Beth Zboran I take pride in my organized file storage. I enjoy saving my work in a logical hierarchy of folders that represent my thinking. I get frustrated with coworkers that lazily rely on the “recently used file list” to locate documents and frown at their disorganized desktops. In June of 2016 I received an email with information about joining a cohort at CMU called Data Fluency. I created a folder called fluency on my hard drive and started the application. I was excited to learn that I was accepted and quickly moved my documents into an application folder under fluency. So the journey began. In July the cohort held two weeks of meetings. We discussed core values and talked about inquiry and advocacy. I created folders for reading lists, assignments, pictures, technology and tutorials. The school year started late August. I had ideas for projects I wanted to do, specifically a mapping project with the middle school, and maybe a current issues website for the web design course. More folders were nested under fluency.
I started talking about these new ideas with my coworkers; words like inquiry, case making and advocacy entered my vocabulary. I shared these ideas with other teachers. Our tenth grade English teacher and I talked about a 360 vista for understanding autism, and another folder was created under fluency. I decided to take 160 eighth grade students on a field trip to document the story of the town of Freeport. We took pictures and recorded narratives and with the help of CMU programmers, created on these three maps. Through the winter my web design class researched current topics and built websites to voice their opinion about current events. The created a visual image of important data related to their topic using piktochart, they were telling their story and becoming data fluent. Now the days are getting longer and buds are showing on the trees. Spring is in the air and the end of the school year is in sight. I hope that this experiment in data fluency has paid off with students who are able to think independently, problem solve, find solutions and adapt to changes. I know this is a tall task that will take continued effort on my part, but I’m invested in the effort. I do however have one monumental task to complete before the dismissal bell rings on June 2nd, I need to reorganize my hard drive. I realized that there are too many folders nested under fluency. Instead of fluency being one folder, one small part of my hierarchical structure, it has become the foundation for all of my planning and teaching. I’m sifting my ideas through the inquiry, case making, advocacy filter. All the subfolders need to be moved outside of fluency, because they stand on their own, in a hard drive that is labeled “fluency”. 
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This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
- By Joseph Rosi Advocacy is at the heart of our classroom. Often times, to my frustration, I try to provide opportunities to our students to work collaboratively, think critically, and pursue lines of inquiry that are of interest to them. In the daily lives of 5th graders they’re not offered many choices or chances to have their voice heard. This oftentimes makes dragging motivation and emotions out of them a challenging task. And then, on a day when I was actually not in the classroom, an incredible instance of student voice and advocacy happened in the least likely of places. Typically my classroom is chaotic when a visitor is substitute teaching. Even the most well mannered kid tends to slack off when there’s a sub. Generally I picture it something like this cartoon: One of my students who has some confidence issues had confided in two boys that he felt like he wasn’t good at anything. He was frustrated and uncomfortable with all the writing, math, and constant academic pressure. His grades had been falling and I’ve noticed that he seemed less engaged in his work or our discussions. ON THEIR OWN and with a foreign teacher in the class, the boys created a greeting card with construction paper. They went around discreetly to each member of the class and asked that they write words of encouragement to the student about his abilities. Some kids offered simple “We love that you’re on Team Apollo” notes and others wrote more specifically to his value in our classroom community. These are little boys! The same kids who get food all over my floor, who scream about the pirates giving up a last minute home run, and whose desks frequently look like a dumpster fire. Those boys stepped out of their comfort zone and realized they needed to help a friend in need. Giving the card to the affected student really turned his day around. Again, all of this happened under the radar. When I heard the story from other students it was all I had to not burst into tears. THIS IS FLUENCY. This is all our core cohort values and what we want from our kids. Empathy and understanding is how we drive motivated learners and future leaders; And something, at least on this day, that I can say our group of students did remarkably. This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
- By Donna L. Ervin Creating an effective classroom culture is essential for student success. Developing my classroom culture begins with knowing myself; revisiting my past lived experiences in reference to race. When I step in front of my students on the first day of school, my color, culture, and nationality shows up too. It’s the lens in which I filter my instruction through. Therefore, I must be aware of how I am showing up in the classroom each day; not forcing my ideas, beliefs and values on students. I must make sure to use their prior knowledge and lived experiences and help them develop strategies and skills in order to discover new learning. This understanding is critical in connecting with students and building a culturally relevant learning environment where the needs of all students are met. I support this type of environment by building effective relationships with students. Empowering students to advocate for what they need (personally/academically/physically/emotionally) creates a meaningful connection with students where they begin to choose academic success. I am relentless in encouraging and helping students overcome their fears and academic challenges, which fosters a sense of efficacy in the classroom. I enrich the curriculum by consistently seeking out the missing perspectives that do not show up in our daily lessons to support the lives of all students, especially students of color. I also utilize differentiated instructional strategies on a daily basis to ensure a rigorous and productive learning environment. Focusing on the physical environment is equally important in fostering an effective classroom culture. I showcase family pictures, photos portraying African American history, a space for my students and their family photos and of course student work. I try to adorn the environment so that it is meaningful to students; a space they can relate to and take ownership of. For example, students know the protocol for asking or answering questions, what types of behavior are appreciated, tolerated or frowned upon and how to use the materials and resources in the room to support their learning. My furniture is organized so that students have easy access to books and materials to aid in their success as a learner. Small groups are easily assembled based upon the structure of the room. Organizational skills, cleanliness and responsibilities are practiced daily. I use a color-coded behavior management system to intrinsically reward students. All parents and/or guardians have access to my personal cell phone number and are encouraged to call at any time. A daily news correspondence and behavior sheet goes home to keep parents informed of our learning objectives and student conduct. To mediate conflict and create positive student-to-student interactions we use the courageous conversations compass in the classroom. Each morning students have a check-in writing task where they attempt to center themselves on the compass to be a more active learner before we begin our day. This daily routine helps students internalize the compass and as a result, most conflicts are easily mediated so that little or no instructional time is lost. Students understand that if they find themselves deep in one of the compass quadrants, they will not be productive in their learning or understanding of the situation. They are taught to try and look at the problem or issue through all four of the quadrants (feeling, thinking, believing and acting) in order to reach their goal of being centered on the tool. Knowing myself and how I show up each day in the classroom, building healthy relationships with students, fostering an environment of efficacy and advocacy and creating an engaging physical space are all essential for student success and developing a culturally responsive classroom culture; one that uses a wide variety of instructional strategies and supplemental resources that support the many different needs and learning styles of children. This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
- By Kristen Fischer and Wendy Steiner Dear Kristen, It has been 5 months since our last “dear data” conversation. Since then, we have added a few pieces of data to our Fluency Journey together. 462 miles or 744 kilometers we traveled from Pittsburgh to Chicago for our first site visit. 26- the number of pictures I took at YouMedia in the Chicago Public Library. I was so inspired by their work that I pitched the idea of replicating the space in our library here at Carlynton. 3-we visited three different schools in Chicago-all doing wonderful work with kids. I was particularly impressed with the food lab at Schurz High School. 3- the number of Café con Leches I had at Cafecito, the little coffee shop near our hotel. -2 the high temperature in Chicago on Thursday when we were there. 336-the number of e-mails in my “Fluency Project” folder Wendy Dear Wendy, It’s hard to believe 5 months have passed! The year is flying, as it does when you’re busy. My report offers some numbers as well… 285 miles we traveled from Pittsburgh to Detroit for my second site visit. 8 - the number of pages of handwritten notes I took during our sessions in Detroit, with Allied Media Projects and Detroit Future Schools, to name a few 2 – the number of fluency-inspired elements in my 3rd quarter Academic course 3 – the number of different notebooks I have Fluency notes in Kristen Dear Kristen, I was so upset to miss out on Detroit! I am looking forward to spending another few days networking with the folks in Philadelphia & New York. Here are some more numbers of interest: 5- the number of co-teaching opportunities that I have participated in during the second semester using Fluency ideals 24-total kindergartners that I will be teaching coding skills to today at Carnegie Elementary 12-robots built with the Hummingbird Robotics Kits for my Frankenstein Robotics Unit 8-Fluency Values that are always present in my mind when designing lessons 1-Donor’s Choose Project I received funding for to start our Trout in the Classroom Tank 6-days until Spring Break-boy do we need it! Wendy Dear Wendy, 11 - Detroit Future Schools “Essential Values” that prompted dialogue and consideration both during our trip and following it; they include observation, curiosity, innovation, metacognition, collaboration, grit, empathy/solidarity, purposefulness, critical consciousness, foresight, and optimism/hope. In their Humanizing Schools guide, DFS asserts that these values “will prepare individuals to solve real world problems, imagine new realities, and build movements that span communities across the world.” 3 – According to Jeff Duncan-Andrade, there are 3 types of urban educators: Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas. According to Duncan-Andrade, “Ridas are people who would sooner die than let their people down,” and educators in this category hold the most potential for improving a school and fostering student achievement. The “Rida Framework” is the basis that drives the work of Detroit Future Schools. Reading the handbooks provided by DFS prompted me to research the roots of the term “Rida,” and led me to Duncan-Andrade’s 2007 article, “Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas: Defining, Developing, and Supporting Effective Teachers in Urban Schools.” I found his article intruiging and thought-provoking, and it also clarified why DFS would adopt this term for their work. 4 - Track meets I’m working/coaching in a 7-day span…yikes. 7 - Random piles of work to grade or file in my room that are piling up due to the advent of track season---yes, we need a break desperately!! Kristen This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
- By Beth Zboran It’s the accumulation of the little things that produce big changes. About a year ago I decided I needed to lose weight. I’ve had this goal before and just like everyone else, I was looking for that one big magic secret. So many products are available that lure in customers with the illusion of big change in body composition without making any changes in their life at all! I probably don’t have to tell you, it just doesn’t work that way. What I found is that a continued commitment to making small changes in everyday life such as eating one less cookie, adding one more carrot and walking once more around the block, is what is needed. The end result, so far, is a loss of 25 pounds from my body! So, why am I telling you this when I’m writing about data fluency? Along with extra carrots and less cookies, I learned that big results come from an accumulation of small changes. What is true for our bodies, is also true for our classrooms. When I started with the fluency team, I wasn’t even sure what fluency was. I have to admit sometimes I’m still not sure. But I do know that I set goals to require my students to think about bigger issues, think independently, ask questions, present their ideas and attempt to find issues that matter to them. I made small changes in my classroom, we discussed current events, we looked at global issues, and we created websites about controversial topics. All of these small changes started to produce big results in myself and my students. Now, almost every activity in my classroom, I filter through the inquiry, case making, and advocacy model. My students are more apt to discuss current issues with me and each other and more willing to problem solve instead of immediately ask for help. I hope to see these students mature. I can only hope fluency made a lasting impression as they head out the door to follow a different schedule for the second semester. For myself, I hope to continue to develop in data fluency and continue to make small changes that are integrated into my teaching and my life. This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort. - By Sue Mellon As teachers, we teach a curriculum and we teach students. In order to maximize student learning, we need to understand individual learner strengths and interests. What I learn about my students is predicated on what I do with my students. In 1983, Howard Gardner published his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. While the debate wages whether some domains are non-cognitive abilities or personality traits, research on this idea continues through Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For me, this notion of multiple intelligences or MI is inspiration for variety in my unit planning. In the marathon otherwise known as a school year, it is easy to fall into the habit of verbal work alone. While the need to speak, write, and read is vital, other types of tasks provide valuable insights. Our unit was exploring the notion of “all kinds of leaders” and to this end we read about leaders in science, social justice, education as well as government. This definitely was verbal work. This “world of words” continued as each student selected a leader to research. Our final goal was to learn camera and video editing skills as each student “portrayed” their researched leader. As I contemplated student mastery of researched facts, the sense that the unit needed variety was overwhelming. To create an opportunity for natural repetition of information, the students created robotic dioramas to highlight some of their research before starting their portrayal task. The clips below are just snippets of the projects. The shortest clip is four seconds and the longest clip is 33 seconds. The students are in second and third grade. After each clip, you will learn what I learned through this work that required art, construction and computer programming. Shaquille O’Neal was the subject of this project and someone who has been admired by my student for a long time. Conversations during this hands on work showed that this student has a great love for all sports. The crowd noises that you heard at the beginning of this video were an original idea by the student and he was quite independent in locating a “wav” file online for downloading to the desktop in order to upload into the computer program. Amelia Earhart was this researched leader and a very fitting topic for this student. Amelia Earhart was goal driven and this is my student. She is always ready to learn something new. Her ability to master something is quick and I find that I always need to overplan so that I am never short-changing her. Her programming reflects her style. It included everything concisely: a sensor start, use of a servo, use of a motor, and using a “loop” function to make the lights blink and the plane “fly.” (Note: We experimented with other ways to attach construction paper and small objects to robotic components, but in the end we resorted back to hot glue. Since the students were young, we had a single adult-operated glue gun. The students would point to where they wanted a glue glob and the glob was monitored until it cooled.) Neil Armstrong is represented with this project and his rocket ship is front and center spinning on a motor. This student loves building things and tinkering with mechanisms. I have used Arts & Bots for years with middle school students and I was amazed how quickly this third grader was able to organize a motor hanging underneath a box to turn the rocket. Additionally, he was the only student to chose a potentiometer as his sensor for starting the computer program. I think that turning a knob felt more mechanical to this student. As many Pittsburghers may know, Art Rooney was in an elevator and missed the immaculate reception of the 1972 AFC divisional playoff game. The student created white box represents the elevator. The “elevator” was the result of several design iterations. In addition to prevailing through multiple designs, this student fell victim to a variety of technology problems beyond his control. He never lost his positive attitude. This very quiet young man puts himself out to the world through the visual images that he creates. It was important to him that each star had two lights. Since the hummingbird microcontroller has only six ports for lights, we had to put two LEDs in four of the ports. He has fine motor control beyond his years and was able to twist the wiring for two LEDs together and make them fit into the port. His artist eye is everywhere in this creation. He very carefully cut an orange pipe cleaner and glued it to the bottom his rocket to represent fire. Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is front and center in this diorama as he has a nerf gun battle with my student. This student values the people in his life. After researching Shigeru Miyamoto, my student really liked what he learned. My student invites everyone that he likes to a nerf gun battle. This project was created with detailed and unique programming. A little pocket of black construction paper is holding a LED and a light sensor. When the LED is lit, the sensor is triggered. This student loves practicing programming skills on both SCRATCH and code.org.
This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
- By Joseph Rosi To say I’ve struggled to define what data fluency means to my students is an understatement. My classes - comprised of 5th graders - are just becoming actively involved in the world around them. Our general focus is acquiring writing skills, which tends to be a daunting (and boring) task for the average 10 year old. Recently, I used a simple analogy to describe a reader's frustration with their essays. I asked the class, how many times have your parents answered a question with, “Because I said so!” The entire class’ hands shot into the air so fast I thought a few were going to dislocate their arms. This was accompanied with a collective ‘groan’. I responded, “That's what it’s like making an argument without data backing up your claim!” They frequently pitch arguments without thinking about background information or a model to test their theories. Promoting numbers and narratives is an important cohort value I am trying to instill in our essay creation. We strive to identify explicit and implicit problems but require that students define an explanation and/or action plan to resolve their compositions. As a result, students have begun to see that their actions and ideas have consequences. Here at BPSD, our mission begins with: To lead an educational partnership with the community. Ideally these text dependent analysis skills I am teaching our students will translate into larger discussions about their world. And, with luck, a process to allow students to engage our community by being advocates for positive change. Because I said so. |
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