Rodel Teacher Council Member Spotlight: Shani Benson

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If you haven’t heard of Flocabulary yet, you should check them out immediately.

Rodel Teacher Council member Shani Benson first introduced me to Flocabulary–sort of a “Schoolhouse Rock!” for the modern era–when we rocked out to “Three Branches of Government” during a visit to Shani’s class at South Dover Elementary School last week. When the video came on during the class’s afternoon snack time, third graders jumped to their feet to start singing the lyrics and dancing to the music.

That vibe and high energy remained consistent during math time, when “Super Small Math Groups!” rotated through a variety of activities, based on their needs.

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As you can see, some the activities ranged from computer practice, to group activities with teachers, to independent games, all tailored to students’ specific needs and interests. Students were engaged in their work and Shani and her co-teacher helped their groups to stay focused while facilitating activities specialized for each group. Teacher-led groups focused on creating tables and pictograms to organize data sets. The room hummed with lively activity, as students moved from station to station intent on finishing their work for the day.

But how did Shani and her co-teacher know which students to group together, and which activities each group needed to complete?

“I administered the STAR Math assessment and analyzed students’ results,” she said. “I then included other factors, such as classroom behavior and students who may or may not have provided a valid result on the test on the day it was administered. With the report, I am able to determine where the areas of weakness are. I can locate activities for those standards and target the areas to provide a well-rounded experience for the student to meet individual needs.”

Based on the focus and energy in the room, it’s clear that Shani and her co-teacher did a great job pinpointing exactly what each student needed that day, and how to deliver instruction to each individual.

Thanks to Shani and her students for welcoming me to South Dover Elementary School!

Rodel Teacher Council Member Spotlight: Tim Brewer

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall while a teacher explained the concept of “spaghettification” to a class full of teenagers, half of whom were listening raptly and the other half of whom were exploding with further questions? I got that chance a few weeks ago when I sat in on Rodel Teacher Council member Tim Brewer’s science classes at St. Georges High School. As engrossing as spaghettification is, what stuck with me most was more how he was teaching, as opposed to what.

Some things never change: Students still dig into the periodic table in Tim Brewer’s chemistry class, even as he has changed to a blended learning model.

Some things never change: Students still dig into the periodic table in Tim Brewer’s chemistry class, even as he has changed to a blended learning model.

 

For the past two years, Tim has been piloting blended learning in his classroom as part of the BRINC consortium’s blended learning work. In Tim’s room, that means that when I walked in, students were taking their weekly quiz online on Schoology, and Tim got instant updates on students’ scores as they finished. It means that most of the materials for Tim’s courses are posted online, while many of the activities in the course are self-paced and flexible based on students’ interests.

All eyes: Tim’s students can follow along on Schoology as he manipulates the monitor to show them how to find their course materials.

All eyes: Tim’s students can follow along on Schoology as he manipulates the monitor to show them how to find their course materials.

 

As I watched the classes unfold, I noticed both how Tim had to adjust his teaching practices to make his classroom truly blended, as well as how students had to adjust some of their own practices, with Tim’s guidance and support. Most of the students in the classes I observed, while generally quite tech savvy (lots of smartphones in the room), hadn’t been taught in a blended setting before. It’s still the beginning of the school year, and they were definitely still making the transition to figure out how to navigate the different environment.

For instance, in a blended learning environment, many of the activities students complete are self-paced and vary based on students’ interests. Ultimately, this means that students “own” their work in more meaningful ways, especially in high school. This is good, but is obviously a big transition if students are used to a more traditional model. To help his students be successful in this environment, Tim devised a simple, low-tech solution: a to-do list.

I visited on a Friday when students were wrapping up a unit and beginning to discuss new content. After he introduced the content and laid out what students would be responsible for at the end of the following week, Tim handed out to-do lists charted out for the week, and students got to work organizing their projects and tasks for the week ahead.

Low-tech, high reward: Students in Tim Brewer’s classroom use “old-fashioned” to-do lists to help manage their time and tasks in a blended learning setting.

Low-tech, high reward: Students in Tim Brewer’s classroom use “old-fashioned” to-do lists to help manage their time and tasks in a blended learning setting.

 

This simple tool helped Tim solve a problem he identified early on as his students made the transition from a traditional setting to a blended setting, where they had more ownership and control over what and when and how they learned: They were overwhelmed by the freedom they had and struggled with how to use their time effectively.

Clearly, even though Tim didn’t explicitly teach a lesson on time management, personal responsibility, or organization skills, his students are learning valuable tricks and tools in these areas that will be valuable to them in a variety of different settings, from higher education to the workplace.

Thanks for letting me visit, Tim! And if you’re still wondering about spaghettification, here’s another link to check out.

Meet the 2015-16 Rodel Teacher Council

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The Rodel Foundation of Delaware on Tuesday officially kicked off the 2015-16 class of the Rodel Teacher Council, and introduced the 19 exemplary teachers who will serve as its members.

Eight teachers from the inaugural class will remain on the council and serve as mentors to the 11 new members. Like its first cadre, the Rodel Teacher Council members represent all three counties, a variety of grade levels and subject areas, and bring a broad cross-section of leadership perspectives. In all, the council members boast over 220 years of combined teaching experience.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the new class of Rodel Teacher Council members,” said Paul Herdman, Rodel’s president and CEO. “The inaugural group set the bar extremely high by influencing the statewide conversation around personalized learning, and I can’t wait to see how the new group builds upon that work.”

During the 2015-16 program, the Rodel Teacher Council will continue its work on personalized learning through research and development of policy projects, classroom spotlights, and a second annual personalized learning workshop for teachers.

Additionally, the new class will focus efforts on the public policy side of personalized learning—with the goal to remove barriers currently in place, and help scale personalized learning statewide.

Personalized learning puts students at the center of the learning environment. Instruction is tailored to students’ specific academic needs, personal interests, and learning style—while they are enabled to learn at their own time, pace, place, and approach.

“To dig in on an issue like personalized learning, which has already gained so much traction in Delaware, is really exciting. We have an opportunity to reinvent our classrooms and advance student learning in an engaging and innovative way,” said new council member Karen Eller, a teacher at Bancroft Elementary School in Wilmington.

Council members will continue to advise the Rodel Foundation on critical education initiatives and issues, meet with key education stakeholders, visit exemplary schools where innovation is transforming instruction, and help to scale innovative practices throughout the state.

Members of the inaugural Rodel Teacher Council contributed to the education conversation in Delaware in many ways. The group met with local and national education experts and policymakers, including legislators, the State Board of Education, the governor, DSEA leadership, PTA leadership, and others.

They wrote and published the Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware, one of the first examples of teachers developing policy recommendations for personalized learning. Council members wrote op-eds and blog posts for local and national audiences, and served on statewide working groups and committees to inform and shape the future of education in Delaware. The group also planned and executed a personalized learning workshop for teachers, with over 100 Delaware educators and school leaders in attendance.

“The Rodel Teacher Council gives Delaware educators the chance to make a real impact on the statewide level, and that’s what we’ve done when it comes to personalized learning,” said Michele Johnson, a library media specialist at Towne Point Elementary School in Dover.

The goal of the Rodel Teacher Council is to provide a venue for teachers to weigh in on important issues that affect the work of educators and help set the course for future education reforms throughout the state of Delaware that focus on personalized learning.

The 2015-16 Rodel Teacher Council members are:

Shani Benson – South Dover Elementary, Capital School District
Tim Brewer* – St. Georges Technical High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
Tricia Dallas* – Itinerant Teacher, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Jordan Dutton – W.T. Chipman Middle School, Lake Forest School District
Emily Edmonds-Eveland – Las Americas Aspira Academy
Karen Eller – Bancroft Elementary School, Christina School District
Melissa Grunewald – Phillip C. Showell Elementary School, Indian River School District
Jennifer Hollstein* – Charter School of Wilmington, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Robyn Howton* – Mount Pleasant High School, Brandywine School District
Lauren Irwin – The Central School, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Michele Johnson* – Towne Point Elementary School, Capital School District
Jared Lelito – Fred Fifer Middle School, Caesar Rodney School District
Lisa Mims – Pleasantville Elementary School, Colonial School District
Tara Saladyga – Delcastle Technical High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
Judith Spencer – W.T. Chipman Middle School, Lake Forest School District
Melissa Tracy* – Conrad Schools of Science, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Kacie Versaci* – Prestige Academy Charter School
Jermaine Williams – St. Georges Technical High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
Michelle Wilson* – Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Capital School District

*- Returning member

Our Favorite Resources, Gadgets, and Gizmos from ISTE

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Three members of Rodel Teacher Council—Tim Brewer, Michele Johnson, and Michelle Wilson—attended this year’s ISTE* Conference & Expo, hosted earlier this summer in Philadelphia. The four-day conference, which attracted more than 15,000 attendees, centered on the idea of integrating technology in the classroom.

We checked back with Tim, Michele, and Michelle to find out what tools, apps, and sites they discovered at ISTE, and which ones might ultimately make it into their classrooms.

Below are the top resources and gadgets they brought back from the conference.

Top 5 Free Websites:

  • SimpleK12 – Offers free professional development and resources for teachers.
  • Sumdog – Common Core aligned math games for grades K-8.
  • GoNoodle – Interactive ways to use exercise for those important brain breaks.
  • ClassDojo – Positive classroom management system that offers family communication and reports.
  • Graphite – Educational applications, websites, and games—reviewed by teachers.

Best Free Tools to Personalize and Organize:

  • Edpuzzle – Create video clips from popular online sources, add your own text, voice overs, and formative assessments. Embed the videos into your student management system or use with Google + and Edmodo. (Free)
  • Symbaloo – Organize all of your memberships, links, photos, files, and resources into one easy-to-use location and then share with students, families, or colleagues. Use an existing page or create your own. Symbaloo lesson plans are in beta test now. Video demo (Free)
  • Draw.io – Facilitate design and process thinking by sharing this website to create dynamic flow charts, draw, paint, design. (Free)
  • Explain Everything – Import or create videos, annotate and publish them in multiple formats. (Available as IPad/IPhone App only – Single device or site licenses available)

Coolest Gadgets from the Expo Center:

  • Tiggly and Osmo: Both kid-friendly gadgets connect physical play with the use of manipulatives that interact through digital learning with iPad apps.

  • SumBlox: Wooden blocks, each shaped like a number to represent a unit of measure, allow students to gain a visual representation of numeric equations and concepts.

  • Beebots: Students program the movements of mini, bee-shaped robots—and learn the basics of computer programming without ever touching a computer.

*ISTE – International Society for Technology in Education provides resources and standards for technology proficiencies for students, teachers, administrators, coaches, and computer science teachers. Sign up for newsletters, discussion boards, and advocacy opportunities online.