Pet Peeve ...I do not know

Ok do you know THOSE teachers who have HUGE pet peeves?  Shhh that is me!  I am honest with the kids and try to tell them up front my peeves.  They are going to work for bosses that they have to learn to deal with and a teacher is the same.  I am not going into all of my peeves neurosis but I want to share with you a solution to one of them

Me….what is a ……    Student…..looking bored….. I do not know.  Somewhere in most student’s academic careers they have been allowed to answer a question with I DO NOT KNOW.  I despise this.  Yes, they may not have the perfect answer but I do not know is a cop out and really it is the same as I do not care.  The past couple of years I have been working on not allowing this and giving prompts and other questions to engage all students.  The key is I HAVE BEEN WORKING.  This summer it hit me I was the one doing the work.  I heard a speaker this summer say “never work harder than your students.”  Think about this….never work harder than the kids….WOW  WOW WOW.  I love this idea. 

With that thought in mind NEVER WORK HARDER THAN THE KIDS I created this poster.  I know I borrowed stole the idea but I have no idea from where.  If you are the creator please let me know and I will give credit.  This was a super-fast project in paint and it gives the kids visual clues for questions to ask.  I plan on posting a large poster at the front of the classroom and a small one on each table laminated. 

Now the first student who says….I do not know…..My head may spin.

How do you get your students to not say I DO NOT KNOW?  What are your peeves?

Where do you go for ideas?

As I am working on my action research with academic vocabulary and getting ready for back to school, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  There are two books that I am reading for research right now.  The first is From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks: 100Ways to Differentiate Instruction in K - 12 Classrooms by Paula Kluth.  Differentiated Instruction is not new for elementary but at the high school level very little has been done in my experience.  As we use differentiation the academic vocabulary will be a huge part of this.    The second book I am reading is BuildingAcademic Vocabulary: Teacher's Manual by Robert J. Marzano.  I love these books since one is the why vocabulary and the other is the how. 

                What I have found in teaching is the research is so important but there are teachers that have researched this before me.  To steal…borrow…their ideas I go to my favorite theft place…PINTREST.  Here are a couple of the great ideas I am anxious to try VocabularyTwister, Popcorn Words, and an interactive objective/word wall.   I love being able to find great ideas from others.  STEALING  Where do you go for great ideas?

What is my action research plan? Why a Blog?

What is action research?  Action research is an individualized plan.  This is different from professional development that has been directed from above.  It is not a sit in a room and sift through information provided to determine what can be used at my school.  It is a plan based in data and research that can be implemented to help improve my individual school.

            We have all sat through PD (especially at the beginning of the school year)  worried about setting up the classroom, first day plans, and trying to focus on someone that may or may not have been in the classroom for years telling us how to improve our classes.  These presenters have not spoken with us before and do not know our students but they have all the answers.  In contrast an action research allows me to develop a plan, research ideas/solutions based on needs and then implement the plan.  The research is based on my needs and solutions that are needed in my educator world.

            As a high school math teacher striving to be a curriculum specialist I am excited to develop my action research plan.  The school I am at is Title One campus with a populations that is 96% Hispanic.  Many times it is not the math that my students struggle with but rather the vocabulary which confuses the students with what the questions are actually asking.  They do not understand the vocabulary we take for granted because for most of the population within my school, English is their second language.  It is my hope that through research based academic vocabulary ideas and activities I am able to raise the scores of my students on the Texas STAAR test.  I will be using my 2012-2013 geometry class to acquire the data and reflect on the action research plan.

            Blogging is a wonderful way to make connections with people of like minds throughout the world.  There are several bloggers I have followed for years. (Hi, Dan Meyer)  Through the power of the internet, connections are made, opinions shared, data shared, and excitement grows.  My mind is never the best by itself smartest and through blogging, as an educational leader, I can connect with minds that have insights that might not have occurred to me otherwise.