Literacy

The Intersection of Project Based Learning and Reading and Writing Workshop #RealPBL #tcrwp

The following is an excerpt from the eBook, #RealPBL Deleted Scenes, which contains excerpts that didn’t make it into the final draft of the book, Project Based Learning: Real Questions. Real Answers.

Background Information: The book’s Introduction was probably the most difficult part to write, which is why two of this eBook’s excerpts are from the Introduction. In the Introduction, we wanted to include a few reasons as to why project based learning should be prioritized, but we don’t want to alienate the reader by getting too technical too soon. This section, from the Introduction, is a personal favorite due to its emphasis on Reading and Writing Workshop. However, it was removed because (1) it could be confusing for those who aren’t familiar with workshop, and (2) it could turn away those who aren’t fans of workshop. Ultimately, a portion of this section was used elsewhere in the Introduction.

PBL Provides Context for Student Learning (Much Like the Workshop Framework)

In both of our school districts, Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop are used for the teaching and learning of literacy. Zooming in on the workshop framework, using narrative writing as an example, a typical instructional unit (unit of study) could follow these steps. As you read, even if you don’t use workshop, think about how these steps might parallel your experiences with project based learning or how these steps could transcend literacy:

Through the collective analysis of exemplars, the teacher introduces the unit’s genre, narrative writing, to students. Amongst the discussion, she gives each student a handout containing the unit’s learning targets – what students should be learning and applying as they write.
Over the next 4-6 weeks, the teacher engages students in a series of mini-lessons, lasting about 10-12 minutes each. Each mini-lesson focuses on a very specific aspect of narrative writing: writing a lead, introducing characters, inserting transitions, helping readers to visualize, etc.
After each mini-lesson, students are given about 25 minutes to write in their writers’ notebooks; it doesn’t matter what they write as long as they’re personal narratives and students are working toward the learning targets. During this time, students can use what they’ve learned from mini-lessons to enhance their work. Also during this time, the teacher meets with students, individually and in small groups, to help them to move forward with their writing.
As the teacher meets with students, sometimes she will notice many students are struggling with the same concept. She addresses the misconception by having the entire class stop their writing so she can teach (or reteach) the concept to everyone.
Most lessons conclude with a 5-minute meeting, during which some students read parts of their work so everyone can learn from one another. Oftentimes the teacher will ask specific students to read certain excerpts to demonstrate what particular concepts look like in action.
Over the 4-6 weeks, as students write in their notebooks, some pieces may resonate while others may fall by the wayside. The ones that resonate, about 2-3 for the unit, are taken through the entire writing process: revising, editing, publishing.

We tend to think about instructional approaches in isolation, and even though the workshop framework can be leveraged in powerful ways when teaching literacy, we usually don’t consider how this same framework can be applied to other subject areas. Nonetheless: Proven practices in one subject area can typically be used in others with the same success. For example, project based learning closely resembles the workshop framework – an actuality that is regularly an “AHA moment” amongst educators who are familiar with workshop but not necessarily project based learning. In fact, when designing project based learning experiences, we have heard educators refer to it as “Workshopping [insert subject area].”

Proven practices in one subject area can typically be used in others with the same success. #RealPBL Share on X [Read more…]

Introducing the HIP-E Framework for Levels of AUTHENTIC Tech Use

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

I’ve always thought that education frameworks are a bit of a double-edged sword. Yes, they often help us to simplify complex processes by making them easier to understand, but at the same time we run the risk of dumbing down or compartmentalizing what we’re doing by taking something that’s complex (but valuable) and turning it into concrete steps or stages.

In the world of educational technology, the most popular framework is easily the SAMR Model (read about it here), which I was first introduced to back in 2011. Three brief thoughts on the model:

On many occasions I’ve heard educators heatedly debate where their lessons fall on the SAMR Ladder. For me, this is splitting hairs. We should simply be asking ourselves, “Are we first and foremost meeting the needs of our students, while using technologies to accomplish what we couldn’t otherwise do without the technology itself?”
When we obsess over SAMR, we’re potentially doing wrong by our students. Just because a lesson is “above the line” (modification or redefinition), doesn’t mean worthwhile learning is happening. (For an example, see one of my previous posts, The Problem with App Smashing.)
If we focus our professional learning on solid pedagogy (without overemphasizing technology), educators will usually find their own ways to leverage technologies to enhance what they’ve learned. As I mentioned in a post on student-run Edcamps:

Christina [first grade teacher] was able to incorporate various technologies into her classroom, despite the fact that none of our Writing Workshop professional learning explicitly focused on technology. We learned about the Writing Workshop framework (along with the Units of Study), and once she developed a deep understanding of these practices, the natural next step for her was to enhance what she was doing with a combination of technologies that (1) were already available to her, and (2) she explored through a webinar. Furthermore, several other teachers have also taken it upon themselves to do the same.

I do believe the SAMR Model is a fine starting point for those who are at the early stages of regularly integrating technologies into their instruction. But, I have found that an overreliance on a technology framework places too much emphasis on technology (surprise, surprise), and not enough of a focus on the actual learning that’s taking place. One way to view this problem is that there’s nothing wrong with the model; it’s how you use it.

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Professional Development: 5 Ways We Broke Out of Isolation #tcrwp

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

“Isolation is now a choice educators make. If you feel alone, it is because you are not willing to connect.”

This quote from George Couros first appeared in 2013 (according to a Google search), and due to various technologies, including social media, this quote is even more appropriate now than it was four years ago. At the same time, (1) it was also true long before 2013, although to a lesser extent, and (2) this idea could apply to any profession, not just education.

Nonetheless, many educators (for one reason or another) still generally work in silos. This fact is surprising, considering there are countless studies in which former teachers cite “lack of support” as one of the main reasons why they quit the profession. (Seriously, for related articles, Google “why teachers quit” and click around.)

That being said, whenever I facilitate professional learning, I try to model the notion of breaking out of isolation, by showing (explicitly and implicitly) that the days of one person having all the answers are long gone (if they ever existed in the first place).

For the past two years, the majority of the professional learning I’ve facilitated has focused on Writing Workshop K-5. Here are five ways we intentionally broke out of isolation during this time.

10 Questions About a Student-Run #Edcamp

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

Typically in my school district, the last day of school for students is immediately followed by two full-days of optional professional learning for teachers. This year was no different. At the elementary level, the focus of the first day was inquiry-based mathematics. And, the second day contained opportunities for participants to dive into (1) Writing Workshop, which has been a focal point of ours for two years, and (2) Guided Reading, a practice we will prioritize next year.

For me (and for the teachers, I believe) the highlight of the second day was the two Edcamp-style time slots – from 9:45 to 10:45 am, and from 11 am to 12 pm – during which teachers facilitated conversations based on topics of their choosing (as long as they related to Writing Workshop or Guided Reading in one way or another). The idea was to provide teachers with opportunities to celebrate their successes, while also giving them time to plan for the future. And, much of this planning ending up occurring across grade levels and/or schools, which made this time that much more valuable.

While all of these sessions were undoubtedly worthwhile, Christina, a first grade teacher, arranged one that was notably unique. During this learning opportunity, attendees explored ways in which their students could create and publish Writing Workshop digital portfolios by combining apps that included Seesaw, Shadow Puppet, Doodle Buddy, and more. But, as much as we love these technologies, what mattered most was the fact that this session was facilitated by her first grade students.

That being said, looking back, here are ten questions I have about this student-run Edcamp.

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Education Is Not Quantitative

By Ross Cooper 6 Comments

If we are relentlessly focused on the quantitative measurements of education we miss the beauty of learning #mlts #mltsfilm #edchat

— Dr. Chris R McGee (@cmcgee200) March 10, 2017

A few days ago, the above tweet was sent out by Chris McGee, a friend of mine and an assistant principal out of St. Louis, Missouri.

While these words can apply to countless areas of education, I found myself thinking about them this past Friday during a professional development session in which an excellent Heinemann consultant, Sheila, was working with my district’s elementary level on Fountas and Pinnell’s Benchmark Assessment System (BAS)…In short, the BAS is an assessment that’s administered to students, one-on-one, usually two or three times a school year to determine each student’s three reading levels: independent, instructional, and hard. All levels are indicated by a letter on Fountas and Pinnell’s Text Level Gradient, which ranges from A-Z.

Towards the end of the professional development, after Sheila had spent the time focusing on (1) how to find each student’s levels and (2) how to use qualitative data to drive instruction, she made it a point to say something to the effect of, “Despite all the testing, Irene Fountas and Gay Pinnell have always left it up to the teacher to decide at which level to instruct each student.” When she uttered these words, my thoughts shot in two different directions.

(Almost) Paperless Literature Circles

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

This post was originally published on Edutopia.

As a result of literature circles being integrated into my fourth grade class’ weekly routines, students independently read books of their choosing on a regular basis, and any collaboration they had regarding these books was mostly facilitated by them.

Here’s a glimpse into my fourth-grade classroom, and one way to run (almost) paperless literature circles.

Background

I divided my 29 students into six groups, and the students were allowed to decide with whom they worked. Throughout the year, each group read chapter books of their choosing, one after the other. All of the paperless work was completed in Schoology, our learning management system (LMS).

The students met for literature circles twice a week – Mondays and Fridays – for about 40 minutes per session. Here’s what happened on each of those days.

Here’s My Reading Comprehension Journey…

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

This will be the fourth and final part of what has turned into an unintentional series of posts on reading comprehension and close reading. Here is what we have covered so far:

Part 1: 3 Reasons to Rethink Your Basal Reader
Part 2: 2 Huge Reasons to Emphasize Consistent Reading Comprehension Strategies
Part 3: Storycasting with Reading Comprehension Strategies (a method for practicing the implementation of strategies)

In this post I would like to take a look back on my reading comprehension journey, and the different stages I “experienced” during my time as a classroom teacher.

Storycasting with Reading Comprehension Strategies

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

This post previews the EdCollab Gathering session – Storycasting in the Classroom – I’ll be offering with Erin Murphy and Natalie Franzi on September 24!

In the last post we examined how my district is exploring the use of consistent reading strategies throughout elementary and middle school (grades K-8): monitoring comprehension, activating and connecting to background knowledge, questioning, visualizing, inferring, determining importance in text, and summarizing and synthesizing information…And, we took a look at how we could leverage the Notice & Note signposts (both fiction and non-fiction) to have students get more out of these strategies in grades 4-8.

Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels, in Comprehension and Collaboration, succinctly explain the significance of reading comprehension strategies, “Explicitly teaching comprehension strategies remains one of the key principles of reading achievement, and the flexible use of comprehension strategies allows readers to hurdle the background knowledge gap when reading challenging text.”

2 Huge Reasons to Emphasize Consistent Reading Comprehension Strategies

By Ross Cooper 5 Comments

Currently in my district at the elementary level, we are in the process of strategically moving away from our basal reading program. We’ve already “cut out” its writing component, as this year we’re hitting the ground running with Writing Workshop and the Units of Study. Also, we’ve begun the process of designing our own reading comprehension instruction with the assistance of Reading with Meaning, Strategies That Work, and Notice & Note (both fiction and non-fiction).

A component of these reading comprehension modifications involves exploring the use of consistent strategies throughout elementary and middle school (grades K-8): monitoring comprehension, activating and connecting to background knowledge, questioning, visualizing, inferring, determining importance in text, and summarizing and synthesizing information. These strategies, which are from Strategies That Work (and many other resources), are “the first recommendation in the IES Practice Guide from the What Works Clearinghouse on improving reading comprehension.”

In addition, we’re looking at leveraging the Notice & Note signposts (both fiction and non-fiction) to have students dive deeper into the strategies (and texts) in grades 4-8. And, if you’re not familiar with the signposts (and you should be), just follow the previous two links to see how they apply to both fiction and non-fiction.

Now, while the idea of consistent strategies may sound neat, organized, and impressive, I believe it’s important to be able to specifically articulate why this is the path we’re considering.

With these thoughts in mind, here are two huge reasons to emphasize consistent reading comprehension strategies (and signposts) across your grade levels.

Digital Portfolios and Blogs: Use Authentic Technology, Not Technology Made for School

By Ross Cooper 46 Comments

Student publishing is a topic Erin Murphy and I explore in-depth in Hack 10 of our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning! (Update – The book is now available here!)

Currently in my district we’ve had some preliminary talks regarding if/how digital portfolios could be implemented on a wide-scale. Of course, while the focus shouldn’t necessarily be on the technology, one of the first questions asked by everyone (both in and out of district) always involves what type of platform we have in mind.

While these portfolio talks are only in their infancy, and we currently have no certain idea what will actually happen (in regards to what technology is chosen and with the portfolios in general)…I do strongly feel that, if possible, we should always be looking to use an authentic tool (e.g., self-hosted WordPress or WordPress.com) as opposed to one that has been made for school (e.g., Kidblog or Seesaw).

Here are three reasons why:

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