Want Critical Thinkers? Try ThinkCERCA

As an ELA Coach, it is usual for me to receive many forwarded emails. I received one from my building principal last week. I am so glad that I took the time to read the email. +ThinkCERCA
"is a flexible critical thinking and literacy framework that empowers whole school teams to improve student growth across disciplines by engaging students," according to their website. Intrigued, I asked our wonderful Freshman teacher, +Andrea Moser  (#shoutout!), to try out the platform using the FREE trial items. I was awed by her enthusiastic reply and actions.

Andrea replied immediately and began learning how to use the system. She read background information and watched videos. The very next day, she implemented +ThinkCERCA  with her Pre-AP Freshman. This particular group of students grasped the power of the platform and is excited about using the full cycle in class. Andrea and I talked about how helpful it could be if the platform was used across the disciplines. Using a common platform and a common language for the details of writing could really empower a school! 

While this platform would not replace our current Common Core-aligned curriculum, it could be an advantageous addition to our ELA lab classes. All of our middle school students receive ten hours of instruction in both ELA and Math. +ThinkCERCA  could be useful as it is possible to group students by ability or by grade level. These groups then work through a CERCA cycle. 

             The CERCA Framework teaches students how to: make claims, evaluate evidence, explain                   their reasoning, develop counterarguments, and choose words that will appeal to their                           audience. What’s more, the framework strengthens speaking and listening skills through                     peer-to-peer discussion and debate."  

Teachers can receive a FREE poster just by visiting their website!  Click here  

Signing up is FREE and takes less than 30 seconds. Try out the free close reading and academic writing items and decide for your school if helping your students to think critically is worth the expense. I know that I am intrigued.

ThinkCERCA product overview

Suzanne M. Rogers, M.Ed

https://about.me/rogers_suzanne

The Power of Google Classroom as a teacherleader

The Power of Google Classroom


Google Classroom is simply a godsend.  As a teacher leader,  I am a teacher and an ELA coach to 6 teachers.  Google Classroom is a tool that I easily utilize for both positions.  As an ELA Coach, I can schedule meetings, share professional development and request feedback and other responses using Google forms.  As a high school AP teacher, I need a way to interact with my students easily. The writing demands and the constant contact require both a way to receive papers and a way to provide assignments, feedback and various messages.

As an ELA Coach,  Google Platform uses the power of Google Apps to power our department. Anything in Google Drive can very easily be shared through Google Classroom as a private or public post.  Private communication is enabled within the department. I also like that teachers can more easily return to a suggested resource. Our school email accounts can quickly become overwhelming.
Google Classroom allows us to concentrate only on departmental work.

As an AP English teacher, Google Platform provides a secure way to provide access to assignments and a secure way to receive the return of assignments. The very best part of Google classroom is the ability to provide feedback DURING the writing process rather than merely AFTER it is turned in.
When students access and create an assignment during class, I can immediately begin to click on papers and provide feedback and encouragement to the students!  Students are always surprised the first time they see my icon on their Google doc. I can type on their document and help along the way.
Communication in this way is much more private than oral conversations during writing workshops. Once students submit their papers to me I have full ownership and they can no longer edit their paper. Google keeps track of all changes and the date and time of those changes, just in case there should be parental concerns. Most recently, we learned the power of sharing one set of Google Slides and allowing each student to create their own slide. They can all provide feedback and encouragement to each other safely within Google Classroom. As the teacher, I can see all the work easily.

Additionally, Google Classroom allows me to post messages such as essay contests, ACT dates, opportunities, and last minute school reminders. The students receive notifications via their phones or email regarding each post within Google Classroom. Students can respond to the whole class or me privately, but cannot privately message another student.

Having tried numerous LMS over the years, I currently find Google Classroom to be preferable due to the ability to connect not only to Google Apps but also to so many other websites because it allows me to manage more easily two of the hats I wear at school.

Please DO comment and share how you use Google Classroom!

Suzanne M. Rogers, M.Ed
about.me/Rogers_Suzanne
I have taught in private, public, and public open-enrollment charter schools

Freedom of Speech and the importance of civil discourse in public schools

In 1644, the notable English author, John Milton, appealed  to Parliament for the liberty of free speech in 1644 when he said, "Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."  As a United States citizen, my freedom of speech is  protected by the First Amendment. The United States Department of Education recently clearly clarified that Freedom of Speech is to be protected in our schools while protecting and promoting the safety of students.

Protecting free speech means protecting the ability of your students, faculty, staff, and members of the public to hold and express views that may be at odds with your institution’s strongly held values. Schools should not ignore the dissonance that this creates, but should instead consciously use these moments as opportunities for reflection, discussion, and increased understanding.

Free Speech is integral to our democracy and to civil discourse. I am comforted that our early American leaders were in favor of free speech. George Washington in 1783 when speaking to his army officers said that without the freedom of speech "we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter."  Likewise, Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Edward Carrington suggested that he would prefer to be without government  rather than without free speech.

When discussing the importance of free speech, it is also important to promote civil discourse. Teachers must ensure the physical and psychological safety of all their students at all times, but especially during class discussions.  Teaching Tolerance provides useful FREE materials to teachers to help teach civil discourse.  These materials have won  two Oscars, an Emmy, and numerous publishing awards due to the excellence of the materials through the support of the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

Follow the links below to these free materials to help promote free speech with civil discourse in your classroom.


Civil Discourse in the Classroom
Additional Classroom Resources


Suzanne M. Rogers, M.Ed
https://about.me/rogers_suzanne
I am an AP English teacher, ELA Coach, and a PD facilitator.
I have taught in private, public, and public open-enrollment charter schools.

NoRedInk-educational technology

For years, English teachers provided direct instruction followed by boring sentences and worksheets  for grammar practice.  Teachers continued to see mistakes in their students writing. @JScheur created NoRedInk to help provide more grammar practice, immediate, differentiated feedback, and a fun interactive way to get more practice.

Students enjoy the process of setting up their accounts. They eagerly select their interests so that their learning is personalized and relevant. Teachers can select assignments for a whole class that is differentiated at the sentence level  for each student based on their indicated interests. Students enjoy NoRedInk!  Students will ask if they can work on NoRedInk rather than another digital platform.

Teachers can track their students progress on individual assignments and skills. 

Teachers eager to provide even more practice can opt to upgrade to NoRedInk premium. Finally, this platform provides limitless practice for students.

My personal experience over 4 years convinces me that +NoRedInk is a preferable digital platform for our students to practice their grammar and mechanics. Our students consistently score better than the regional and state average. It is worth trying the program with your students!

Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG5NdUqABwI

https://www.noredink.com/

ReadTheory-digital reading platform

http://www.readtheory.org/

Tanner, the Founder and writer/editor of +ReadTheory discovered  "the mode of critical thought" through his Philosophy studies at @UNC. He found it "fascinating and empowering." Tanner founded +ReadTheory  with the idea "if all students were given the opportunity to make sound inferences, delineate nuance and focus, understand arguments, and recognize purpose and intent, then they, too, would learn to wield this powerful tool." 

Why do we use +ReadTheory ?  Our school  tried several reading intervention digital platforms. Most of the platforms promise significant research-based growth for intervention students. Unfortunately, their platforms often fall far short of their promise. Some are much too childish for Middle School and High School students. Some do not produce helpful data to determine true growth. Some have lessons that are WAY too long for our students.  Finally, I found ReadTheory. 

We began using ReadTheory with our Pre-AP and AP students. The passages are short, interesting and engage the students. Students regularly stop in the middle of their reading to share their delight in reading and learning. More importantly, we noticed that they happily complete their quizzes. They enjoy earning each new Reading Title, which is a "reflection of the points" they've earned. One student watched his Lexile level fall after his diagnostic. He immediately completed over 60 quizzes to prove that he was a better reader!

We continued using ReadTheory with a few of our elementary classes for Winter Break assignments.
The teachers were intrigued that they could quickly view the Lexile levels, quizzes passed, as well as their mastery of ELA Common Core Standards. Best of all, ReadTheory is FREE!

Looking forward to even more classes moving to ReadTheory after the semester break. I am thankful for this digital reading tool, as are our students. Take a moment to investigate this tool for your students!

Resources
http://www.readtheory.org/

@SpiralEducation- educational technology

I have a confession. I am often a Beta tester of new technology.  I love to try out new educational technology. I've been blessed to have administrators who supported or tolerated my use of technology,  way before it was popular. This week I tried @SpiralEducation.

@SpiralEducation. They offered  FREE access to their product. Our IT guru responded to my request to try spiral by pushing it out to all of our devices. (Thank you, Mr. Guven!)
Spiral Education Intro Video

I particularly like the QuickFire option. I preloaded questions that we would normally use for discussion. I simply started QuickFire and placed a time limit on their responses. The students were able to see their anonymous responses appear on the whiteboard. So now, rather merely COLD CALL, I can expect to receive answers from every student. We were able to see and discuss the answers as they appear.  I can easily provide feedback and adjust as needed. Quiet/shy/introverted students can now respond without fear of appearing silly. I can count QuickFire responses for a grade, or use them to help inform the direction of my teaching.

In January, one of my classes will begin a Zombie Apocalypse synthesis group project. I plan on using Spiral Team for this project. If you  use Spiral Team, please contact me so that I can learn from your experience!

Our app

Quickfire

Quickfire enhances question and answer activities, enabling you to get the responses of the entire class in real-time.

Discuss

A powerful tool for creativity, exploration and deeper learning, Discuss encourages students to share ideas with each other.

Team Up

Facilitate group work - with students sharing ideas and building team persentations.

My Christmas Wish- "We can make it better for everyone"

George Lucas's 2012 article in @Edutopia  is very relevant to the @AR_TPN, Arkansas Teacher Practice Networks. There is no more important job than supporting our colleagues in our diverse state. Our mandate is to touch 10,000 teachers through our efforts over the course of the Gates Education Grant. Fantastic idea. Lucas said, "There is no other job more important than education. It is the foundation of our democracy. By seizing on what's working, and recreating those successes from one classroom to the next, we can make it better for everyone." My Christmas wish is that we "make it better for everyone" through the collective power of our teacher leaders. We can and should.

Touch
Our "touch" will be both high and light. We will touch our colleagues through face to face meetings and through digital platforms to reach a larger audience. I know that I use Twitter to reach my Global Professional Learning Network, PLN. I have watched as my colleagues personally felt validated through their participation in Twitter chats and could count it for professional development. We can and should reach out and touch our colleagues with our knowledge.

Foundation of Democracy
Teachers have an important mandate to educate the voices of the future. By "seizing on what's working, and recreating those successes" according to Lucas "we can make it better for everyone." Democracy is involving everyone. The Arkansas Teacher Practice Networks organization will attempt to seize on what is working and help spread this information within our networks to empower our colleagues to educate better the voices of the future. We can and should empower and educate.

Better for Everyone
The teacher leaders were able to spend two days dwelling on the possibility of their personal power. We hope to harness to power of our collective and various digital platforms. It is time for our teacher leaders to step up and share their knowledge for Arkansas teachers through +Twitter  +Instagram Google+ +Blogger  +YouTube  +Pintrest and other digital platforms like Teachers.do. 

My Christmas wish is simple "make it better for everyone."  Thank you to @GeorgeLucas and +Edutopia for this insightful and still relevant idea. We can and should do this. 

Resources
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/importance-of-education-george-lucas
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/US-Program/College-Ready-Education
http://tpn.wested.org/
http://www.apsrc.net/

Suzanne Rogers, M.Ed
https://about.me/Rogers_Suzanne

I am a parent of two college cubs, an AP English teacher, ELA Coach and PD facilitator.

I've taught 1st grade, MS, and HS in public, private, and charter schools in 3 states.