tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225592276226580812024-03-08T18:12:42.738-05:00The Soup BoxLet's run it up the flag pole and see if anyone salutes it.
Please feel free to comment/disagree!Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-37701488335088272922013-01-19T14:29:00.000-05:002013-01-19T14:29:34.773-05:00Visit to NMHS and Eric Sheninger<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After spending the day with Eric Sheninger, we had a 90 minute ride home to discuss all that we had seen and heard. During that conversation, I caught myself saying this about Eric and his school, “He is like a good professional wrestler, he has a gimmick and he sticks with it.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">First and foremost, I must say this –I don’t enjoy the negative connotation associated with the term gimmick. His leadership is based in a belief and his beliefs inform his leadership. A large part of our discussion revolved around preparation for the real world. One point we kept going back to was the fact the Education training and Education Leadership programs are not preparing teachers or principals for a modern world that includes technology. Sadly, we echo that ill preparation in the classroom. All too often, we build classrooms that pretend technology does not exist. Our students deserve to be educated in a manner that reflects the real world. Look at any meeting, we all walk in with our devices and use them for our own purposes (sometimes aligned with the goals of the meeting).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Simply stated, cell phones and wifi exist, why not use them to engage and empower our students? This model is not built on any special training. This model is not based in any pre-purchased, pre-packaged program. The basis of this model is “get out of their way”. If a teacher can find a significant logical reason to use technology to add to their instruction – do it. If a teacher can be effective using old school pen and paper techniques – do it. This model empowers the teachers to be the decision makers and agents of change in their rooms. I found myself thinking that Eric gives his teachers enough lumber to either build an amazing platform for greatness or a guillotine for themselves! Eric assured us that he gives teachers enough release time to research, experiment or even reflect! His VP and AD often cover lunch duty to give educators release time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why does Eric cover his teacher’s lunch duty? Why would a principal be willing to schedule himself a lunch duty? Well, in the words of Hulk Hogan – “let me tell you brother” he believes in what is he doing for his staff, his students and his school. Much of our conversation circled back to the understandings of Motivation 3.0 as defined by Daniel Pink. Eric encourages autonomy and mastery in his teachers. It is clear that Eric does this and his teachers participate because they share the same goal: a better experience for their students (Pink would call this purpose).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not only does he believe in his school, he has leveraged social media and other venues to spread the word about his beliefs and his school. New Milford HS has a brand, NMHS has an image and we all know what it and he stands for and knows their beliefs. They have their gimmick and I don’t see them jumping the shark anytime soon!</span></span></div>
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Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-43657822124766357162012-07-23T22:39:00.002-04:002012-07-23T22:39:59.529-04:00The Man in the Mirror<br />
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Recently, I have been approached by several people (2 people
can legally be considered several –correct?) to write about my experiences
“flipping” my classroom. After a
rather active #sschat tonight that I attempted to moderate regarding this
model; I felt the need to get some thoughts down on paper. What follows are those disjointed
thoughts.</div>
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Prior to those thoughts a few disclaimers:</div>
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1)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>It is the middle of my summer so be gentle.</div>
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2)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>I am not an expert on this model so be gentle.</div>
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With that said, I am going to concede some high ground to
people who have issues with the model or the term in general. Here are my concessions:</div>
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1)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Yes, this is still hw. I understand all the issues and opinions around hw in
general but I work in a district that strongly encourages hw. Y</div>
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2)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Yes, some kids will “never” complete their
hw. I would argue there are
numerous initiatives you could attempt to get those children to engage in any
sort of class.</div>
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Here are a few more thoughts before I really start:</div>
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1)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>I did not coin the term “flipping” but like any
blanket term - it can be
manipulated in any number of ways.
Think of the numerous images your neighbors would think of when you say
the term “teacher”.</div>
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2)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Like a great pitcher in MLB (none of which can
be find in the NY Mets bull pen), “flipping” is one more pitch in my repertoire.</div>
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3)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Often, I hear about kids not having the tech at
home; I am sure there are a few cases where I would be forced to concede this
to you. I would like to
submit this to you; how many of your kids can sit in their room and watch a 5-9
minute video on their phone. My
kids don’t need a desk/pen or anything that they don’t normally have with them.</div>
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Step 1 – Back story.</div>
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After attending #educon and longer pattern of research, I
decided to “flip” my Freshman World History Class. We stayed “flipped” from basically February through
June. I have been blessed to steal
some ideas from great educators that I have worked with in brick and mortar
colleagues and my PLN that I lovingly refer to as my Twawgs (Twitter =
Dawgs). Ultimately, I flirted with
becoming an old school “Sage on the Stage” teacher too much early in my
career. Moving towards this model
would ensure I never ended up hating teaching or my career.</div>
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Step 2 – How It Worked.</div>
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After a few missteps, here is how it looked in my class by
June. Students were asked to watch
videos as HW. They were not asked
to take notes or do anything besides watch the video and think about what they
watched. I moved towards having
videos “due” on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday and Thursdays. </div>
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Class would begin with some form of discussion or practice
quiz on the videos. Less and less,
I would grade these quizzes.
More I used this to clear up confusion. We had some great discussions after the videos. Several of the discussions started with
simple prompts like – “This video reminded me of….” – “The thing I did not get
was…”.</div>
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Each unit had a list of objectives and students were allowed
to select from a list of ways to demonstrate understandings of these
objectives. Most units included
DBQs – where kids used primary source documents to answer questions.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Why I will continue to “flip”</div>
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<ol>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I believe
25 1:1 conversations are so much better than 1 25:1 conversation. </b>“Flipping” took my handcuffs
off. The videos allowed me to
cover content in a valid professional way. It allowed me to use class time to speak with students
individually regarding their understandings, their misconceptions, or their
concerns.</li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The trade
off is so worth it.</b> These
videos and the model allowed me to do more activities in class. The best in-class discussion I have
ever been a part of happened this year.
I was able to step out of their way and they discussed serious issues
regarding peace and justice. Being
able to attempt lessons that looked like chaos (some kids working in a writing
lab, others completing a reflection on a primary document, others structuring a
debate) made it all worthwhile.
This created opportunities for students to create content or articulate
their beliefs. The best benefit I
have received from this model is the amount of time – we got to spend working
on reading or writing skills.</li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Answer
this questions – when do the kids need you?</b> I feel like moving to this model, I was able to present for
my kids when they truly needed me.
I feel like when I was a kid, we sat and got the info and then were sent
home to do the important/difficult stuff at home- alone! I would rather be in the room when the
kids are doing work that is moving them up Blooms Taxonomy. In a way, I look at the typical pyramid
structure of Blooms as an indicator of how much; I want to be in the room with
the kids.</li>
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Hopefully, this year I will continue to improve as an
educator. Slowly but surely I am
getting better out of the kids way.
Thanks to tonight’s conversation, I have numerous ideas on how to better
implement this development in my instruction. Please feel free to reach out to me here or on
twitter to ask questions or (better yet) give me advice.</div>Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-19567837660247714972012-03-15T20:34:00.003-04:002012-03-15T20:34:21.598-04:00For #psychat<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HOT SEAT</span></span></b></span><br />
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Set up room with desks facing each other around room.<br />
A vs B<br />
C vs D<br />
Create as many match - ups as your class needs!<br />
Give the kids a control sheet - just ask and I will send you mine.<br />
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Each round on mine looks like this<br />
Round #___<br />
Q1<br />
Q2<br />
Q3<br />
TB:<br />
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Teacher asks three questions and a tie-breaker.<br />
A and B compare answers. C and D compare answers. Each pair determines winners by comparing number of answers correct - only use tie breaker if there is a tie!<br />
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Winners move up one match up.<br />
so next round might be<br />
A (winner rnd 1) vs Z<br />
D (winner rnd 1) vs B (stayed in same seat :{ )<br />
B (stayed in same seat :{ ) vs E? (winner of rnd 1)<br />
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Person that lost sits still and faces the winner of match up behind it.<br />
A few of the pairings around the room, I label as<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b> hot seats (put red contraction paper between the two desks)</b></span>.<br />
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I love using this to gauge knowledge level, give cheesy hints. I try to use goof tie breakers that give test hints or create engagement in class. Many of the tie breakers are me saying pick a number between 0-100 and then asking a random kid their jersey # in a sport or their favorite number. We will collect hot seats as they take the test!<br />
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Benefits<br />
- I can review with them the questions/concepts that I am concerned about.<br />
- We can have a fun class but make them comfortable with what to study.<br />
- Kids have numerous chances to get points on test.<br />
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Limitations<br />
- Competition can be unhealthy<br />
- Some kids may not move<br />
- May breed over confidence for the test.<br />
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One more:<br />
if there is an odd # of kids in class. Create one hot seat where if kid gets 1 answer right - they get point on test and move on; if they do not get one right - they get one point on test and move on!<br />
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<br />Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-70526589489369586902012-02-16T10:03:00.000-05:002012-02-16T10:03:06.514-05:00I owe youI owe you!<br />
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Ok, so it has been nearly 4 months since my last visit here to the Soup box. In fairness, I have let numerous bloggable moments slip through my fingers. <br />
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Since my last post, I have attended Educon, we have dealt with some frustrations regarding our schools filtering software and I am presently experimenting with a modified flip for my classroom.<br />
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Educon was awesome and exciting with a touch of depressing. I had a chance to catch up with some amazing people and share some amazing ideas. Hearing Chris L express his vision for SLA was like hearing a smarter, more professional and handsomer version of me express his beliefs. I have stolen so many of his quotes. “If you want to get over on someone who is treating you in a loving manner – go right ahead” – being my favorite.<br />
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Educon was frustrating because I saw what education could be and I saw the distance I need to travel to be at the top of my profession. In fact, I have started and never completed 1 blog entitled Getting There from Here about closing that gap. I am hoping to present something on that order to edcampss.<br />
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Basically, my thoughts lately have broken down into three distinct areas: instruction, life profession balance and our profession.<br />
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Regarding instruction:<br />
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1) How in good faith can I be using basically the same exact techniques used by my teachers over 20 years ago?<br />
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2) What techniques can I adopt to make my students become the primary actors in my lessons?<br />
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3) Is Camtasia studios really worth $300?<br />
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Okay, that one has to be explained. It seems like every year (ok for the last 2) I have been getting the urge to flip my class. This year I am trying something with my Modern World Frosh. They were asked to spend 2 nights of hw time on the site <a href="http://www.3x3links.com/chapter8">www.3x3links.com/chapter8</a>. Here I collected all the materials related to our next chapter and then we spent a few days discussing the unit in a very relaxed manner. After a few days of discussion they were assigned this menu (<a href="http://goo.gl/AqTTa">http://goo.gl/AqTTa</a>). <br />
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The kids seemed to balk and complain a lot. They really got into the menu items and have created some good work. I am allowing them to hand it in waves so their full awesomeness has yet to be revealed to me. Their complaints seemed to relate to the disconnect they experienced from their instructor. The nights of the hw – I got a lot of: “I don’t understand” and “this is stressing me out”. <br />
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Here is what I learned or have come to believe – you must create your own content to flip. Kids do not want to see or here from some outsider. Going half way is never acceptable and my modify flip may be failing because it is a half measure.<br />
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To that end, if I want to continue with the flip model, I need to buy a good screen casting program. The real kick in the pants is that I have a Mac mini at home and a PC at school so I may need to purchase several licenses. <br />
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Random thoughts on the other topics:<br />
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1) How are kids leaving teacher training programs still dependent on the Sage on the Stage model? I feel like that is a real abdication of duties by the colleges/universities?<br />
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2) Why would anyone go into teaching for any reason other than to help kids? I am getting frustrated with the amount of times people at the various schools I deal with putting their program/their reputations/their ego before the well being of kids. <br />
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3) How do people do it? I see people on twitter that are amazing educators pursuing numerous degrees and still actively participating in their and others development. I am so impressed by them. I need to learn their tricks and techniques. I intentionally lessened my responsibilities as a coach so I could be a better teacher and a Dad but yet I am consistently feeling a time crunch. That is why you have not had a blog post from me in some time!<br />
<br />Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-78824983806485060472011-11-07T20:41:00.002-05:002011-11-07T20:41:39.852-05:00Who is Mike Beardslee? How Big were the Rats?<!--StartFragment-->
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Who is Mike Beardslee?
How big were the rats?</span></span></div>
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Granted, it is the end of MP1 and I have a ton of other
things to be doing but I felt the need to share these ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope these three or four dispersant
ideas help me make one cohesive suggestion for you and your classes.</div>
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Imagine : it was the Spring of ’95, I am a student-teacher
at a rural MS/HS on the Delaware and Maryland boarder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe the students had convinced me
that the science classes were legally in Maryland and the English rooms were in
Delaware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth be told, I was
student-teaching but thought my college basketball coaching career was going to
take off and a teaching career was secondary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few weeks on instruction, I started working on my
first test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professors’ suggestion
about the proper way to construct a multiple choice question echoed in my
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need a 100% wrong answer
for some question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked around
my apartment on Salisbury University’s campus and used the perfect name: Mike
Beardslee.</div>
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Mike Beardslee was my then roommate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years later, he was my best man and I
am blessed to have him as a still close friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love when I see his children play with mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Then something crazy happened – kids picked his name as a
correct answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That tickled me to
no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I returned the test,
I told the students of the error and they howled!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This joint moment of silliness gave me real insight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot to be said for a sense
of community in a classroom.</div>
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With out fail for the 12 years of my teaching career, Mike
Beardslee has appeared on every single one of my tests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The Queen of Egypt</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The person who shot Franz Ferdinand</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The person shot by Gavrillo Princip</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Movie Director that produced propaganda for
Hitler.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Father of Modern Psychology</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Author of <u>The Frontier Thesis.</u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Invented the idea of the invisible hand in the
market economy.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>One student wrote an entire mid term essay on
Mike Beardslee – sadly it was an awesome piece of work on William Jennings
Bryan!</div>
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Since then, I have always found some point in the year to
let a class in on the joke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike
has even helped coach a summer camp with me and the kids were thrilled to meet
Beardslee.</div>
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Years later, kids ask me how he is doing!</div>
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It is a fun moment when kids become a part of the
legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I have always
been able to do this in a way to build community inside our class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids love the idea of a tradition or a
legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sense of being a part
of something allows me to demand and expect more form them</div>
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The second example of this came from my immaturity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were covering WWI and every teacher
at Pequannock suggested I use “Arming the Earth” hosted by Bill Moyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This video was actually funded by a gas
station that is now defunct.!</div>
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During one key segment describing no man’s land, a WWI vet
describes the horrors he saw during the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said “and the rats, the rats were as big as dogs!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This moment caught me and I rewound it
100 times easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids laughed,
I howled and then I rewound it again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We shared a sincere moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I turned this immaturity into a teaching point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every test on WWI started with the
question – “How big were the rats?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Midterms even lead off with that question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also then ended WWI test with an essay about the “real”
reason that I loved that quote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The answers about the horrors of trench warfare validated my hopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This year as the last 10, I will tell the kids that they are
joining a very prestigious family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The will join a secret society that knows – “How big were the rats?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just last week a student I taught in
2003 posted this exact question on my facebook wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 years ago, as
I was leaving a Starbucks – the barista yelled at me – “Campbell – how big were
the rats?”</div>
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These two mistakes or coincidents taught me an important lesson
about building a sense of building community in a classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, I use edmodo, greet kids at the
door, try to comment on their work but nothing has gone farther then Mike
Beardslee and the rats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you
guys find your Beardslee or rats and keep building a community in your
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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To be honest, I am more excited to see the “How big were the
rats?” responses then the feedback from other educators.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-3786995820927464372011-10-20T08:27:00.000-04:002011-10-20T11:16:36.991-04:00JUST ASKFirst and foremost, please allow me to apologize for the delay in getting this post up. I have been super busy and lame excuse after lame excuse.<br />
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Quick update, during the summer, I agreed to return to Cinnaminson High (taught there from 02-04). Thus far so good; I could not be happier. Leaving my hard school was difficult, I became the teacher I am today thanks to great colleagues like @andremystrena. When I made the decision to do it, I was rather cavalier about tenure. Now I do finding myself watching my step and my mouth more and more. That and some of the new ideas I implemented could be great future blog topics.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today – I encourage you to just ask.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is that simple – just ask.</span><br />
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I am teaching two courses that are new to me and I was scared! During the opening of school, I just asked my new colleagues (many of hem were old colleagues!) for help. You would be amazed by the support and ideas that I received from them.<br />
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I was assigned to teach psych this year. I had exactly 0.0% experience with it. Thus far, we have done 8 or 10 of the best lessons of my career. I am a genius? No, I am a stealer. People from #psychat on twitter have given me great ideas and great support. They are keeping me afloat during this maiden voyage through Psychology. Today, my students are making Brain Models – an idea I received because I asked. Yesterday, we learned about Phineas Gage and watched a clip thanks to #psychat peeps! My other sdavior in psych has been a former colleague – Eddy D – he has been a lifesaver. He sends me ideas because I asked!<br />
The second week of school, I wanted to use Six Word Memoirs <strong><span style="font-size: large;">(</span></strong><a href="http://campbell156.blogspot.com/p/six-word-memoir-poll.html"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">please vote here</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;">).</span></strong> One email and two hours later, @andreamystrena had shared some great resources. My kids loved it and some of my colleagues stole the idea. Again, @andreamystrena told me and I told my people – just ask!<br />
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As we finished up the Six Word Memoir activity, I needed a polling site so I just asked. <a href="http://fluidsurveys.com/">Fluid Surveys</a> offered me a great deal and treated me incredibly well. They offered me a great level of support and options – just because I asked. As our voting is coming to an end Fluid Surveys is now working on getting us swag for my kids just because I asked.<br />
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It gets better. I am a huge soccer fan and I am a middle class teacher. I have never been to an MLS game but can not afford a ticket and the tickets are hard to get so I sent a tweet out to 5 MLS powerbrokers. Long story short, my buddy and I are going to the Red Bull and Philly Union match thanks to @MLS_Insider. All because I asked!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is one caveat – if we all start asking each other foe help, we must be willing to answer. I hope you are willing to share with and steal from other educators. Please know if there is anything I can do to help you – </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><a href="mailto:campbelld@cinnaminson.com"><span style="color: red;">JUST ASK</span>!</a></strong></span><br />
<br />Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-15030084924907184662011-05-06T09:48:00.002-04:002011-05-06T11:57:20.742-04:00Help Wanted Ad<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Due to numerous events in my career, I have never been lucky enough to have a real mentor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Trust me this is not because I have not worked with great educators. In fact, I truly believe that all three Social Studies departments have been the strongest units of their respective schools. At Pequannock, I worked with some amazing thinkers. John Graf, Russ Irving was the life blood and conscious of our school. Politics and the expectations placed on me at that school it made it damned near impossible to have a mentor. I did share and steal ideas at times but had no mentor.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The most dynamic planner and thinker, I have ever met was Steve Schels. Today, Steve works at Sparta high and we now live 2 hour apart. </span> Mr. Schels was a great colleague but had no desire to be my mentor!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I moved to Cinnaminson and again worked in strong department with tremendous staff. Rob Becker inspired me and we shared ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being married, a little older and a proud fool, yest again, I worked at another school and found no mentor.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">For the last 4 years, I have worked at a third school and have yet to find a mentor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 38, I feel like it may be a little late to pick up a mentor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am blessed to work with great people in my department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally, I have learned and been inspired by a great educator and true colleague @andreamystrena,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One thought I have is this no mentor issue may be related to the hiring process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three places I worked desired “finished” products. After spending two hours talking about how “finished” I was to get the job – I have never felt super comfortable going back on that and asking for help.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As a coach, I read about the “coaching” trees of all these great coaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom Izzo and Bill Walsh have these amazing coaching trees with former assistants running teams all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, I find myself feeling alone professionally at times and feeling like I could use a guidance counselor!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So here is the Job description: </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Needed a mentor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Candidate must be wise, sage like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Candidates should posses the Wisdom of Mr. Miyagi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If chosen for this position candidate should demonstrate the motivational skill of Mickey Goldmill (Rocky).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideal candidate would have the warmth of Paula Dean but the wit of Alton Brown</span><em>.</em></span><span style="background-color: #a64d79;"></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Here are a few of the things I need to ask my new mentor:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1) </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How do they do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see these amazing teachers on twitter with amazing blogs, even better lessons and perfect family lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do these people juggle all of that? (These thoughts have led to the recent idea of creating an #sschat blog) with multiple perspectives as many of us find that balancing act hard)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2) </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What is next for my career?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I stay in the classroom? Should I pursue an Administration degree?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about an IT/Media Center Specialist certificate?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3) </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How do I balance all the voices and find my own? Grades good or bad? Late work? Teaching accountability and having a no zero policy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skills versus content?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Berlin Sans FB";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4) </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What really matters? What do my students truly need to be successful?</span></span></div>
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Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-51279619258497800382011-04-18T21:39:00.001-04:002011-04-18T22:08:35.020-04:00A Rising tide lifts all boats.I have been lucky enough to work with some tremendous educators. One teacher I worked with loved naval analogies. When I left one school, he gave me a tremendous book and inscribed it with a quote about how the US Navy judges the size of it's ships by the amount of water it displaced. The first time I read the quote, I thought it was a fat joke. Later, it became clear that he meant it as a compliment. <br />
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This master teacher constantly was sharing ideas and discussing ideas. He often stated " A Rising tide ifts all boats."<br />
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This is one of the reasons I have come to love twitter and my PLN. The chance to share and steal with other colleagues means so much to me. After attending TSETC with Andrea Mystrena, we became convined of the need to share and colloborate with our collegaues.<br />
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We have tried numerous efforts some successul and some unsuccesful. I am proud of the way we have gotten web tools into every weekly principal message. Andrea and I planned a Web Wednesday - where we hosted a web sharng meeting after school. We have hosted 10th pd (we have a 9 period day and pd a play on prof development).<br />
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Here is my new idea and new challenge. We need a way to engage more educators and spread the word about the power of twitter. It is too easy to speak to like minded people. I want all of us to send emails to co-workers with the title "I got this from Twitter". Hopefullly by sharing the great resources and the great ideas available we can excite those teachers in our buildings who could enjoy having their pilot light re ignited.<br />
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Here is one of the problems; I wanted to call it Word Out Wednesday but #wow is claimed by Opie and Anthony and let's just say we can not afford that confusion. OandA have female fans use that tag on wednesday - awkward. I tried #WW but that is also writer Wednesday.<br />
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Do you have any suggestions?<br />
Who on your staff can you reach out to?<br />
What should we call this initative?Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559227622658081.post-31095714935409160202011-04-17T21:47:00.001-04:002011-04-17T21:49:01.690-04:00Climbing the Mountain.....So, this is my first entry on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>The Soup Box </b></span>and there is so much I want to say. More importantly, there is so much I want to ask other educators. Ultimately, that is my concern can this blog allow me to accomplish 2 goals. First, I want to be a participant in the on going discussion about my chosen profession. Additionally, this will serve as my sounding board as I continue evolving and discovering as a teacher.<br />
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Here is what I know:<br />
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1) <b><u>I don't know much. </u></b> I thought I was a good teacher but as the years progress, I realize that I owed my students so much more than what I was giving them. Too often, my lessons resorted to gimmicks, humor or the power of my personality. What is sad? I was successful that way - even won a student selected Teacher of the Year. I don't really like the guy that won that award. That guy would never have flirted with flipping his class. But now, I know it is their class - I remind myself - "Get out of their way!"<br />
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2) <b><u>Communication is not as easy we think it is. </u></b> How often do you find yourself flummoxed that someone did not understand what you are saying? Just this weekend, I lost 5 minutes from my life trying to get gift receipts at HOME DEPOT. As communication becomes more typed, more jargon dependent, and at times limited to 140 characters; misunderstandings increase rapidly. The story of the misconstrued e-mail is everywhere now but I have one I love. <br />
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After college, I was hired as a GA basketball coach. I would speak to the AD and Head Coach about my apartment and other arrangements and they would tell me - "I BLITZED them about that". Hearing that filled my sails and my ego, to me blitz meant making an all out effort; I thought they were doing it to make sure I was all set up. This assumed effort made me think they saw huge potential in me as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. No one working there ever knew how crushed I was when I attend my first training on our e-mail system - BLITZMAIL!<br />
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There are few things I have attempted as scary and as exciting as kicking off this blog. I know some of my ideas will get laughed at; some of my typos will be obvious but so many of the people I admire have encouraged me to do this - so here we go. I hope my twitter friends, my PLN, and #sschat folk make this blog a part of their reading schedule.<br />
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As I hit publish post then jump over to twitter to promote, I am reminded of another great quote from <u>12 Angry Men -</u> "Let's put it on the back porch and see if the cat laps it up".Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17978895299001930537noreply@blogger.com7