Get Schooled

By thomas

July 31, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this

I love REAL knowledge and education related to teaching. I frequently attend classes on subjects such as instructional technology and teaching strategies (math, social studies, etc.). I even attend conferences to learn more.

What I don’t particularly like is being required to attend meetings to be presented with or told “common sense” things or the “basics” of teaching. I think most people can reasonable figure out how to use the Teacher’s Edition or dress appropriately.

This week, THOUSANDS of metro area teachers will be forced to sit HOURS and HOURS through asinine meetings to be told such things as:

1) What time to come to work 2) How to dress 3) How to perform extra duties 4) How to call in sick 5) Don’t be sick/take time off 6) Don’t scream at the kids 7) Maintain required records 8) Teach to the standards (this is insulting to a professional teacher, BTW)

Later, an entire day will be spent with all teachers being forced to travel to other locations within their system to attend “System Staff Development” or “Curriculum Meetings.” There teachers will listen to more people tell them about the “new GPS” or the “GPS” and about the “standards” and what your classroom/lessons should look like, etc., etc.

I understand new teachers being given this information. They are new to the game and may not know all of the particulars of their new job. But most veteran teachers ALREADY know this.

Teachers get upset when their VERY FEW days without students are filled with meaningless meetings and activities. That time could be spent actually planning and preparing to “teach the standards.” That time could be spent doing the little things (which in the end, btw, have absolutely nothing to do with student achievement) that the administration and county office wants done. You know- silly things like “standards boards”, “data teams”, intricate, multiple page lessons plans for each subject, required bulletin boards with themes mandated by the principal, and on and on.

By Tony

July 31, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this

The point of professional learning should be to improve the overall capacity and abilities of the teachers, administrators, and other staff to carry out their jobs with improved quality. With this in mind, teachers have a big stake in what kinds of training should be implemented within their schools. When I read articles that say things like 350 teachers were trained I can almost assure you that none will gain the level of expertise needed to improve their teaching. There is plenty of research evidence to demonstrate “sit and get” does not work!

Here’s what does work: Schools work amongst themselves to establish priorities and they channel their resources in that direction. This must include appropriate professional learning. The most effective forms of learning require follow-up and feedback for the teacher. This means classroom visits are necessary. It also means the teachers need time with one another to discuss what works and what does not while trying new strategies. This kind of peer coaching is very effective.

Herding teachers into a big presentation will not improve the quality of instruction in the schools.

By GOB

July 31, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this

Thomas - I agree completly about pre-planning. We were mailed a schedule for the week of pre-planning, and we have one afternoon to work in our classrooms during the entire week. The rest is filled with meetings. Good times…

By jim d

July 31, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

Tony,

While this (Herding teachers into a big presentation will not improve the quality of instruction in the schools) maybe very true, school systems continue to ignore the one thing that can. SCHOOL CHOICE would force most of the dead wood teachers out of the profession, automatically improving instruction.

By HS Teacher Too

July 31, 2008 9:54 AM | Link to this

“Herding teachers into a big presentation will not improve the quality of instruction in the schools.”

Of course, you’re 100% correct, Tony. But tell that to the county administrators who pay big bucks to bring in “names” and force all their teachers to drive to the Civic Center to listen to the latest “pep talk” or whatever else they have to offer us. One year it was that we can’t have too many rules; kids won’t listen. The next year it was that you need a rule for everything so kids know where they stand. GREAT ADVICE, thanks. How about I just use what works for me, and you trust my professional judgment? I am an adult, after all. I can walk and breathe — and even talk and chew gum — all at once. I am competent enough to know how many rules I need in my classroom.

The last time I actually went to one of these imposed pep rallies (and didn’t just ditch for Waffle House), there weren’t enough seats, no one took attendance, you couldn’t hear if you were in the back half of the meeting hall, and — oh, that’s right — it was a presentation that was most relevant for elementary and middle school teachers, completely alienating we high school teachers. (And what of the PE teachers? Great advice for them on how to post the rules in their classroom!) But it surely made someone in the County somewhere feel great about the “outstanding staff development opportunities” they were providing for all the teachers.

You know, things like that are insulting to a person who really considers herself to be professional. They waste my time and insult my intelligence. Give me that time to work in my room and actually prepare for the year.

Sheesh. I am all fired up, and I am not even teaching this year!

(Simon, by “work in my room,” I mean both “in” my room getting stuff done at my desk, and “on the details of” my room, hanging posters, arranging desks, cleaning desktops, etc.)

By Janine

July 31, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this

RE:Herding teachers into a big presentation. There is an old adage among old[er] teachers: “When I die, I hope it is during a teacher inservice….because the transition between life and death would be so subtle as not to be noticed!”

By GOB

July 31, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this

SCHOOL CHOICE would force most of the dead wood teachers out of the profession, automatically improving instruction.

How? The number of students isnt going to magically drop. The gap between good schools and bad schools will increase dramatically though because there is a large segment of the population cant/wont drive their kid across town to a “good” school.

It would likely be a good thing for those students who need it least, but a huge step back for those kids that need to most help.

By WhatWillLauraDo?

July 31, 2008 10:28 AM | Link to this

How about training on what to do if you are brutally assaulted. Why no follow up Laura? You are a reporter, right?

By jim d

July 31, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this

Well GOB,

It is really a quite simple premise.

As enrollement (and money) drops principals would be forced to scrutinize teaching applicants more carefully, rejecting those who seem not up to the job in order to maintain their own jobs. end result, better equipped teachers.

By jim d

July 31, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this

BTW GOB,

There are currently 4 High schools, 4 middle schools and 8 elementary schools within 6 miles of my residence with two more HS’s, and another MS slated to open in 09-10 with plans in the works for a few more ES’s. Logistics in this area wouldn’t even enter the picture.

By GOB

July 31, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this

Jim - Enrollment is only going to drop at the same rate that it is increasing somewhere else.

It will shift the positions around, but they will still be there. In reality, what will likely happen is that the good schools will be able to fill up with good teachers, but the schools where the parents wont/cant drive their kid to a new school get the leftovers. It does nothing more than widen the gap between the good and bad schools.

By GOB

July 31, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

Jim - Logistics are always a factor. Going 6 miles in Gwinnett during rush hour can take 30 minutes, but that isnt even the point. Those kids that can get to another school everyday will do so, and leave those without the means (be it parental indifference or anything else) to languish in the failing school.

I dont see how it does anything more than open the gap between good and bad even wider.

And that ignores the fact that we all have a choice of schools already. Put a for sale sign in your yard or get a second job to pay for private school. If a certain school is that desirable, move to the district.

By jim d

July 31, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this

GOB

I no longer need a choice.I do however believe in liberty —— and that liberty should be afforded all regardless of their means.

And Dear GOB, I respectfully disagree that the poor schools would end up with poor teachers. First and foremost by holding principals accountable they would do everything within their power to retain students by holding teachers accountable and providing the best educators money could buy, thus keeping their job.

Just an observation here on my part but it appears the only people adverse to choice are teachers that feel they couldn’t cut it under such a system of accountability our members of a teachers union that have been instructed to oppose choice for a variety of trumped up reasons.

On the other hand I see teachers blogging here every day that are confident in their abilities that would support choice schoolss.

I would suggest you place your concerns aside and check out Schools of choice in Michigan for openers.

By simon

July 31, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this

I think organizational meetings (like pre-planning) are different from those that focuses on teacher professional development. I’m sure administrators can learn to conduct those organizational meetings more effectively, but they serve very different purposes, and they have their places, I imagine. I sure hope teachers aren’t expecting professional development opportunities during the pre-planning time.

By Math Mom

July 31, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

Hello Teachers, could you please get back on subject? Laura, you asked parents what they would like to see in the way of teacher training. Here goes:

1) For Math and Science at the middle and high school level, parents want to see teachers who have math and science degrees - please no “educational leadership” master degrees. I support spending tax dollars on helping teachers obtain advanced degrees but only in their core subjects and only from reputable (not internet)accredited colleges.

2) The integrated math program being forced on the high schools by Cox will fail (just like the middle school courses)unless math teachers receive significant training and learn to think about math in a new way. Until ALL high school teachers are at that level, the state should defer further implementation of the high school GPS math courses.

3) The current math training is too little and too late. The “train the trainer” methodology promoted by the DOE is insufficient.

4) Parents and teachers need to know that the new math courses require higher levels of reading comprehension. Thus students with poor reading skills will continue to do poorly on the math CRCT. Maybe the math teachers should also be reading teachers?

5) The consultants who proposed the new pedagogy for the GPS math program need to spend a week in a typical public school classroom. I watched the videos on the DOE math website- something like “A day in a standards based math class.” I laughed myself silly. My children attend school in a large, urban and highly diverse public school system. The video showed a non-diverse classroom of very quiet, polite, attentive students and two very young female math teachers who were engaged in “valley-girl” type chit chat. What planet is Cox on?

6) Even the best math and science tachers are not able to instruct using the “inquiry” method with classes of 30 plus students- many of whom have been repeatedly passed on and do not have the fundamental skills (or interest)needed to participate. In the last TWO years of middle school science, my child’s class did ONE experiment. I don’t think this is sufficient to learn the “scientific” method.

So for this parent, tracking and grouping students by academic level is critical and small class size is essential. This appears to be the only way that teachers can implement some of the training that they are being forced to sit through.

By GOB

July 31, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this

Jim - In theory, I think school choice is a great idea. However, I simply dont think it would work in practice.

I am completly confident in my ability to do my job, but based on what I have seen from administrators and county officials, I am not confident in their ability to do theirs. At this point, I think choice would give them just more to screw up.

By Will

July 31, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this

Here’s where I feel staff development fails to meet its goal:
Teachers attend a training session for a day or two and then return to their classrooms. The teacher leaves the training feeling empowered and ready to implement everything he/she learned. They eagerly try to incorporate their training into their classroom. Some attempts are successful and some aren’t so great. Somehow what is going on in the classroom isn’t quite like the scenario presented in the staff development. The teacher begins to question whether or not they have the skills to implement the training. He/She does not have anyone to ask for help or support. Discouraged he/she begins to fall back on the old and familiar. Time passes and the training session has slowly faded away.

Here’s where Georgia fails its teachers… lack of QUALITY support. If you want real change in the classroom, teachers need on-site support from competent lead teachers. Take your BEST teachers in the building, free up some of their time, and allow them to work with teachers.

Last school year, the DOE decided to use webcams to train special education teachers about the new special education guidelines. Here’s an example of “quality” staff development in GA: the first 25 minutes were spent watching the moderators fix their hair as the technical support people scrambled to get everything ready. Throughout the training, the sound kept going off and on. Eventually, someone hands the trainers a small microphone and they spend the rest of the presentation hovered around a computer screen passing the microphone back and forth. It resembled a very bad YouTube video.

By jim d

July 31, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this

All I’m saying GOB,

Is that it warrants a shot, simply based on the success stories from around the world where it has been implemented. Sweden just went that way, so let’s watch them for awhile to see where the start up difficulties may lie. Or we can just use examples from the states that have it in place. Personally I’m convinced that choice will improve education over time based simply on schools striving to provide a quality product that consummers want.

By Charlifaye

July 31, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

I’d like to give a shout out to KSU for their MSP program.

MSP is Math-Science Partnership, and Kennesaw wrote a grant to offer teachers of 4th, 5th, and 8th training in science. We have had two summer sessions, last year and this, and 5 days of classes spread throughout the year last year and this upcoming year. We had training in inquiry-based lessons - including turning cook-book labs into inquiry-based labs. We’ve had classes on integrating technology and writing rubrics. We’ve done lots and lots of real science. All in all it has been the best staff development in which I have ever participated!

What made it great was that we were taught by professionals (KSU professors and other science teachers) who spoke and taught from experience - it wasn’t theory; it was real and practical. We were treated like professionals - we were asked for and gave our input into what our needs were - not needs determined by someone in a central office. Our cohort became a soudning board and a collaborative team where we shared ideas and resources. Every session, I took back something I could put to use in my classroom the next day if I wanted. I can’t say enough good things about the program.

I don’t know about you all, but my county does have “professional learning” planned for next week - we have it every year during pre-planning. Several of the people (both professors and participants) from the MSP program will be presenting - extending the reach of the program.

By thomas

July 31, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this

Will,

One reason teachers sometimes stop trying some of the new things they in professional development is that the activity from the session turned out differently in teh classroom.

Almost every single time these trainers present to groups of adults- teachers. These are people who are TRAINED in the school environement and with the behaviors one expects from model students. There are almost never any “discipline” problems. In addition, these people’s activities have been vetted and are “tried and true.” They worked the kinks out before you got in the room.

In the classroom, there are many variables. It takes time to perfect new ideas and lessons.

By catlady

July 31, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this

GOB/thomas: I guess we are lucky. We have about 18 hours out of 40 to prepare our rooms, except for some people who have even less. (Now understand that our rooms have to be totally boxed up and packed up each summer….)

By just a teacher

July 31, 2008 6:50 PM | Link to this

I have to applaud my principal here. He’s emailed us all of the required stuff (policy documents, etc.) this week. We will meed Monday morning to sign off on it all and have a yummy breakfast. We will meet with our departments for a few hours on Tuesday, and we will have a last-minute meeting on Friday after lunch. That’s it. The man actually gets it. (Now, there is the wasteland of countywide crap on Thursday, but I’m choosing to overlook it.)

In general, though, I like professional development that is applicable to my classroom. When presenters model new techniques or share resources that I can use, I am very happy. When people talk at me for over 2 hours and I can’t see how the message applies to me or my students, I want to hurt them. I do a lot of doodling.

By jim d

July 31, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this

Hey, was that mom3boys or catlady picketing with the MACE Squad at the Atlanta School office on Tuesday? Good picket against student violence against teachers. They showed it several times on TV. Great picket!

Most training sessions or staff development sessions are a waste of time. Let the teachers use their time as they know best how to use it. Two hour lunches! No, seriously, we need personal protection or self-defense training for teachers, especially the petite ladies who are dwarfed by the larger male students, and these students can be very threatening and violent.

By lovemy4kids

July 31, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this

In my home school this past year, we had promising results on our ITBS scores in math and science. The 6th grader scored 92nd percentile in Math Total and 98th percentile in Science. His only weak areas were Probability and Statistics and Estimation, neither of which are emphasized at this level in our curriculum. The 5th grader scored 95th percentile for Math Total and 84th percentile for science. Interestingly, he and the 6th grader took the 6th grade science curriculum together, so I think there was a misalignment factor with the 5th grade science subjects covered. My youngest was technically a first grader this year, but he managed to score in the 81st percentile on the Math Total for the 2nd grade ITBS.

We have used A Beka math as our main curriculum. The teacher-led videos plus the work- text have been effective because they retained the old-fashioned drill and repetition method, especially in grades K-4. For a better hands-on visualization of the math concepts, I supplement with Math-U-See. All of my children scored 100% on their Geometry sub-tests and I credit this with our use of origami to visualize plane and solid geometry concepts and A Beka’s excellent coverage of this topic. Another good pre-Algebra supplement is VIDEOTEXT ALGEBRA. It is especially suited to the visual learner and uses excellent graphics to present basic algebraic concepts. My favorite haunt is a used book store which has a home school/curriculum section. One can find a wide variety of math text books and teacher’s manuals there for CHEAP! I am building a math home library so I can glean the best ideas and methods for my kids. In the home school free market, there is an abundance of resources to assure your child’s success in mathematics.

By catlady

July 31, 2008 9:54 PM | Link to this

Twasn’t me, jim. I HAVE been on Atl TV a couple of times related to education, but it has been over a decade ago. I have also presented research at a number of national conferences. My daughter was on David Letterman twice, but nothing to do with MACE. Sorry.

How is your son adjusting to college life? How are you and your wife adjusting?

Did you see that only 6 people showed up to comment/ask questions at the ClayCo BOE meeting this evening? Sounds like our BOE meetings, except ClayCos was a lot bigger.

By catlady

July 31, 2008 9:58 PM | Link to this

One of the best staff developments I went to was last Spring, right after school was out. The county hired this highly touted educator, who spoke to the whole county and everything he said, almost without question was bassackward from the way our county does it (and I agree with him on each point). It was great to watch the CO people, with these little fixed smiles on their faces, as he rubbed MUD on everything they have been trying to do to screw up our schools. I came out of there in the best mood!

By jim d

August 1, 2008 5:11 AM | Link to this

To:The other jim d Re: By jim d July 31, 2008 7:52 PM

I’m somewhat flattered that you would imitate the origional jim d since I have always been told that true geniuses are the ones who are imitated.

So thanks.

By simon

August 1, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this

Math Mom

I probably agree with many of the items you raised. However, your conclusion (tracking and small class size) does not follow from those items. If teacher training by the DE (and I’m not sure if it is really the DE’s responsibility to provide all teacher training - the new standards have been out there for the last few years for each school district - and teachers - to do something about it) then it is insufficient, then it is insufficient whether you have tracking or not. Small class sizes will make no difference, either.

If there is no science facility (or equipments) to conduct experiments, again, tracking or small class size will make no difference.

I’m frankly disgusted with all those HS teachers crying about the new standards. Much of mathematics is the same as those that were in Algebra I, II and Geometry. If anything, there may be a bit more statistics. But, for God’s sake, they are still at the introductory (HS) level materials. Aren’t they math teachers?

By Kate

August 1, 2008 1:29 PM | Link to this

I rushed to send in my paperwork for teacher recertification just before the due date. Sadly, I received notice that I didn’t have as many credits as I thought. I frantically scoured the internet trying to find quick, inexpensive courses accepted by my state, Georgia. I happened across KDS (Knowledge Delivery Systems.) I was able to get the credits I needed from the comfort of my own home for only $60 a course. I watched an online video, took a quiz and proceeded on to the next lesson. At the end of the course I sent in a “final” exam and was awarded the credit for that course. I was able to get the credits needed for my recertification in the short amount of time I had. Check it out at www.kdsi.org.

By ironmaiden

August 5, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this

Some training is valuable, especially for technology actually available for classroom use. My problem is the admin mindset that teachers must be continuously in meetings because they apparently can’t be trusted to work on their own. This puts many into 60+ hr start-up weeks. And half-day meetings are scheduled so that driving all over the county is required. I could easily spend the other half-day planning in my home office. Other professions allow work-from-home opportunities. Far too often, the training/supervision provided identifies the teacher as “the child”.