Teacher's Diary

Renewed Excitement

After feeling like my teaching career was faltering and I was hitting a total wall, I have been rejuvenated by...you guessed it...professional development. Although my school has been struggling with many issues, my administration had the good sense to send me, along with another teacher, a dean and an AP, to a Harvard Institute for New and Aspiring Leaders. I don't have time to write about it now, but there is more to come on all the exciting things I learned, am thinking about and would like to share with all of you.

Keep checking back! Probably this weekend I will have time to post more thoughts and tips. It will help me organize my thoughts and give you all an insight into what goes on behind those Ivy walls!

New Year's Resolutions

So a year has come and gone and I'm now starting to feel like more of a veteran than a newbie. As always, I try to take time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future - what better time than just as a new year is beginning.

Last year, I wrote 10 New Year's Resolutions, and I think I managed to do about 8 of them at least partially. I still need to work on giving captivating motivations at the beginning of each lesson, staying on top of grading, and planning farther ahead, but I know I am doing so much better on all of those things than I was when I wrote those resolutions. I have become much more confident in the classroom and teaching is truly starting to become fun. I am able to joke around more and make fun of how nerdy I am in front of my students. I think it makes them more comfortable liking science and school in general.

Now it is time to make new goals for this coming year. Here's what I have come up with:

 

1. Reach out to all students, not just those who show interest and respect, and get them to buy in to my class.

2. Create more authentic, injuiry-style unit projects, like the greenhouse project I described earlier this week.

3. Leave time for review after each unit and for end-of-year review.

4. Spend more time using technology in the classroom and explicitly teaching kids how to use it.

5. Use various methods of formative assessment to give students more chances to show me that they know the material.

6. Change my bulletin board more frequently and use work by different students each time.

7. Keep my expectations high for all students and differentiate more, so that all students are challenged by the work.

8. Stay healthy by eating better, drinking more water and getting a good night's sleep every night.

9. Collaborate more - use other teachers as resources and create joint, cross-discipline projects to get the kids thinking about problems from different angles.

10. Read the news and get students reading it too. Use homework and class discussions to get kids looking for science in the news.

 

Several of these resolutions I have already begun doing and others may take more effort to get started, but I feel that all of them are worth pursuing. Here's to hoping that this year of teaching will be even better than the last.

Happy New Year!

Inquiry at Last

Inquiry is one of those buzz words in education these days. I get teachers' magazines every other day with new tips on how to include this innovative technique in the classroom, and I truly believed that I was doing it to the best of my ability. The problem, though, is the tests.

All last year, I was struggling with the desire to teach through inquiry and the fear of the tests at the end of the year. Everyone says that through inquiry, students learn the material better, but it's easier said than done. With the tests looming, there seemed little time to spend creating and presenting projects. After all, I didn't even get through the whole curriculum.

In the end, few of my students passed the Regents anyway, so this year, I figured, why not go all out with the inquiry?

In general, I have felt more at home in the classroom and my family has said this holiday season that my talk about school has changed drastically from last year. I am more comfortable in my teacher role and know the curriculum better than I did last year. This summer I did a lot of planning ahead so that I would be ready for this year, and much of my research concerned how to create better inquiry-style labs and projects. I did my first project - making a brochure to educate community members about possible dangers from space - and it was somewhat successful, but I felt the students weren't really into it. It wasn't real to them.

Then I hit upon a new idea. In doing my unit on insolation, climate and atmosphere, I decided to have students build greenhouses for our school garden (built by a community organization called EATS that brings urban farming to low-income schools). I had been working with them to try to get more students involved and using my class seemed like the perfect plan, plus we were talking about the greenhouse effect and climate. It was ideal.

I created a competition: each class was divided into groups of 4. Each group had to design a greenhouse that used the properties of winter insolation and electromagnetic radiation. We went outside and measured the angle and direction of the sun, confirming what we had learned about low-angle insolation. Groups presented their design to the class, giving an explanation as to why it would be effective and comparing it to the atmosphere. Then each class voted on the best design - and when we return from break, they will build a prototype and cover a single bed with it. Then we will see which class came up with the best design and they will win a class trip with EATS to a culinary arts college.

The designs they came up with were fabulous and the kids were so excited to be outside and doing something physical, tangible. In their presentations, most groups demonstrated a clear understanding of how Earth's tilt causes low-level insolation and why greenhouses are necessary. They were even able to answer Regents-level questions about insolation and seasonal changes.

The project could still use some tweaking, but it was such a breakthrough for me as a teacher to see that students really can reach Regents-level understanding through inquiry and project-based learning. They are not mutually exclusive. I even have a feeling that my students, especially those who struggle on paper-based assessment, will remember insolation better than other topics. I truly hope I am able to come up with similar projects for my upcoming units. If I can keep the interest of my usually hyper students and actually get them to retain information, I will do whatever it takes. And I know their test scores will benefit.

The Value of Visiting Other Schools

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting a school in the Bronx that is far beyond where my school is currently. This school is twice as old as ours, but it was still somewhat disheartening to see how different it was. When I described the difference in student behavior to some of my colleagues, they were quick to jump to the conclusion that it must have been a different student population (undertone - better prepared coming in, higher socio-economic status, etc). When I argue that, no, it is exactly the same population, they shake their heads and obviously still don't believe me. But it is true.

And that is exactly why I found the experience valuable.

Rather than simply shaking our heads and blaming the students or their parents or their crappy neighborhoods, we should start looking at schools that are doing it right. I came back with my visit a little disheartened, but also reinvigorated by the clear proof that it is possible. The school I visited was not perfect, nor does it come close to the top public high schools in New York City, but it is doing a good job of educating a very tough population.

I came away with ideas for myself in terms of teaching practice and classroom management, but also tips for my administration on how to do a better job running the school. Of course, it's not my place to tell them what to do, but by showing them that I have an interest in seeing the school improve, I hope that they will start taking some of my observations to heart.

I know that our school can do what this school has done, but it will take more than one or two teachers to change the entire climate of the place. I hope by sharing my experience, I can encourage other teachers to visit schools and come back with ideas for all of us. Once everyone sees it is possible, we will be able to create positive change in our school.

The Moveable Museum and Other AMNH Resources

One of the greatest things about teaching in a big city like NYC is that there are resources everywhere you turn. Some of them are great, some of them are so so and some turn out to be terrible. But there is no shortage of opportunities for learning outside the classroom.

One of the biggest concerns, however, of inner-city classrooms is a lack of sufficient funding to make use of all the opportunities available. Sometimes, though, you come across an incredibly rich experience that is also entirely free.

The American Museum of Natural History museum has such an experience: the Moveable Museums.

Yesterday, I had the joy of welcoming the "Discovering the Universe" bus to my school. The museum educators came into each of my 4 classes, gave an intro to astronomy lesson and then took students onto the bus - a large, windowless vehicle that has been gutted and turned into an interactive laboratory for students to explore concepts in astronomy and astrophysics.

My students looked at infrared cameras, peered into different types of telescopes to gaze far into outer space and operated a flight simulator to explore the planets of our solar system. I heard kids saying it was the first time they had enjoyed science and others comparing the activities to playing video games. Even my worst students kept their behavior in check long enough to experience a whole new world of astronomy. Today we discussed the museum and students were still engaged and interested in sharing their experiences. Best of all, it was totally free and only took an hour and a half per class, so they could still attend most of their other classes.

The Museum of Natural History has a wide array of resources for teachers, from Educator Evenings, where teachers get to view museum exhibits for free and gain access to related resources, to whole staff development workshops. The museum itself is a great resource for students and teachers alike, but the educational outreach they do is far greater than the museum alone. I highly recommend all teachers take a look at what they have to offer. The programs are great, most of them are free, and it really gets students engaged in topics that can often seem irrelevant to their daily lives.

ISA Conference on College Readiness

This past week, right after school got out, I attended a three-day professional development conference in New Jersey from ISA, The Institute for Student Achievement. ISA is a partner organization that works with 80 high schools is 6 different states. My school happens to be one of them. As such, all teachers from my school are invited to attend this workshop; this year's topic was creating a culture of college readiness at our schools.

Despite being completely worn out from the year (and disheartened by my students' performance on the Regents exam), I decided to attend. What better time to start planning for next year than when the trials and tribulations of this year are still fresh in my mind? And I am so glad I went. Those three days were exhausting but incredibly helpful. I got to bond with staff members, both from my school and others, and learned quite a bit that will help me as I start thinking about what I want to change for the coming school year.

The first workshop I attended dealt with including inquiry in the science classroom. The first session was pretty basic and I found it kind of boring, since I felt that it was geared towards people who had never tried inquiry before, rather than those who wanted to improve their practice. For those who don't know, inquiry teaching means letting the students discover answers for themselves, by making hypotheses and performing experiments to test them. Many of the things we teach, both in science and in other classes, students can figure out on their own if given the chance. Learning this way takes longer and requires a lot more planning on the teacher's part, but in the end, I am a firm believer that it is the best way to have kids learn and retain the material. It gives them ownership and forces them to think critically.

The one thing I did get out of the workshop was a textbook recommendation: the EarthComm modules from It's About Time. Check them out - they are fabulous resources for using inquiry in your classroom!

The other workshop I attended was very well done and incredibly useful. We used tuning protocols to create a research project we want to do with our students. By bouncing ideas off teachers who weren't even in our discipline, we were able to solidify our ideas into practical and fun projects. After completing the workshop, I not only had a project sketched out, but also realized how useful protocols can be, both for teachers and for students. I will make an effort to use them in my lesson planning and in my classroom too!

Overall, the conference was well worth it. To all those new teachers out there, I know you are tired and want a break from school this summer, but consider going to at least one or two workshops too. It really helped me feel more confident that I will be able to improve my practice next year.

More Professional Development

After a long day at work today, I wavered as to whether or not to attend an educator night held at the American Museum of Natural History yesterday, but I dragged myself over there and was glad I did. As a first year teacher, I'm still unsure what to expect from these professional development events, but this one was short, sweet and very informative. The topic was "Journey to the Stars," the IMAX movie that is showing in the Planetarium right now.

As part of the evening, there were demonstration tables with information about star-related programs throughout the city (details to come in an upcoming post), a speech about the making of the film, screenings of the film and free giveaways. Food and drink were provided and the entire event was completely free for educators.

I apologize to my regular readers for not warning you about this event sooner, but I will be posting as much of the information I gained as possible. I've heard that these events happen at the museum rather frequently, so I'll keep you posted for any upcoming ones in the future.

In general, I think professional development is important for all teachers, both first-year and otherwise. It is so important for us to collaborate and share ideas about what works in the classroom. Anything that can make learning more fun, hands-on or applicable to the real world is a bonus for our students and will allow them to be far more engaged than otherwise. I plan to continue to go to these evening and weekend events and I will keep you posted when they are upcoming.

SCONYC Conference

This weekend was very relaxing as far as first-year teacher weekends go. I was able to enjoy the sun on Saturday and stay relatively warm and dry on Sunday. I caught up on sleep and certainly on work.

One of the things that made my weekend great, though, was the Science Council of New York City (SCONYC) conference held at Stuyvesant High School on Saturday. As a participant, I was able to partake of several excellent workshops on different methods of engaging students in science, choosing from probably close to 50 offerings in all areas of science. I also raided the vendor booths, where publishers and educational sites tried desperately to get people to off-load the sample text books, Regents prep guides and pamphlets of information they had. I must have gotten 15 free text books, most of which are being sent to my school for me so that I didn't have to lug them around the campus.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the conference (especially since my school is giving me some kind of reimbursement) and I learned quite a bit from the workshops I attended. In my opinion, it was well worth giving up the majority of my Saturday to spend time at this conference. Next year, I will be sure to let readers know about it in advance!

Yestermorrow Adventure

Yet again, I have been lax about posting. I'm still recovering from my bronchitis and am now enjoying the fresh air of Warren, Vermont, where I am taking a course on Ecological Water Systems through a program called Yestermorrow.

Set in the Mad River Valley, this idyllic community provides education on sustainable building and landscape design to anyone who cares to sign up for a class. My co-teacher and I are the only educators in a class made up mostly of people who design buildings for a living. Some of the information has been a little over my head, but for the most part, it is engaging and interesting material. Despite the rainy weekend, even our trip out to a local farm was enjoyable.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the course and was unprepared for the weather (I got quite wet as we toured the ponds and streams that help irrigate otherwise difficult land at the farm), but the facilities are very nice and the food, absolutely delicious. Yestermorrow offers several different sleeping arrangements, from dormitory style to full-out camping, and gives students the option of paying for a meal plan or cooking their own food.

I highly recommend the program - they offer courses like the one I'm taking on sustainable design, green roofs and rain gardens all the way to classes in basic carpentry and furniture building. It is great for building technical skills and getting ideas for how to incorporate more sustainability into your classroom. We are currently building raised vegetable beds with kids at our school and I'm hoping I will be able to use some of what I learn this weekend to incorporate a catchment system to utilize rooftop runoff to water our beds.

I look forward to seeing how it turns out and will certainly keep you all posted!

A Day at the Mines

Today was a gorgeous day, full of blue skies, turkey vultures and mine shafts. That's right, I took my kids on a field trip to Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey, where they got to learn about the dangers of mining and the rock types that abound in a mine.

I have said it before and will continue to say it: I believe trips are the best way to get kids excited about learning. My students are often rowdy to the point of wildness, unruly and unmanageable. But get them out in a field in New Jersey and they will beg you to help them fill their cardboard box with the 6 different rocks they are supposed to find. The toughest kids grow wide-eyed upon entering the cold, damp mine tunnel. It was an experience that none of them are likely to have again and I made it possible for them.

Talk about an authentic learning experience. Our tour guide was an old, soft-spoken man who worked in a mine himself for most of his life. He told the kids stories about how he started out as a "mucker," breaking up rocks by hand that hadn't been broken down enough in the initial dynamite blast. He told them about a friend of his who was crushed under a giant piece of iron and killed. And he told them about the marble that lined the walls we walked through. They took it all in and really experienced it.

Trips are hands-on learning amplified. Not only are the kids investigating science for themselves, they are experiencing it with their whole bodies. Taken out of their normal, safe environment, even the toughest kids become angels. They know instinctively that they can't get away with things that they get away with back at school, so they don't even attempt it. I am always truly amazed to see that side of them.

For anyone in the New York or New Jersey area, I highly recommend that you take your students to Sterling Hill. The tour guides are fabulous and the learning experience the kids receive is unparalleled. I could tell that it opened so many of them up to science and made what we have been learning about come alive.

To the right, check out one of the cool fluorescent rocks found at the mine!