–George Orwell

We are more than a decade into the 21^st Century and Orwell’s quote is as relevant as ever.  Information and misinformation travel at the speed of megabytes per second via text messages, Facebook status updates, blogs, tweets, etc. In addition to these online sources, we have television and radio news networks trying to fill up much of their 24 hour schedules with speculation masquerading as news.  When it comes to the clutter and clamor of the omnipresent media, our students need to be able to separate that which is reasonable and true from all that is questionable and maybe even preposterous.  Helping our students further develop their critical thinking skills is one way to help them deal with the multitude of messages coming their way.

When students become better writers, they also become better at examining how others develop and defend ideas.  They become better critical thinkers.  I didn’t fully appreciate this concept until I went back to school to work on an administrative endorsement.  Every course involved a lot of writing.  Some of the courses were online, and because of the nature of online courses, a great amount of writing was required.  The more I wrote for my classes, the more I began to realize that becoming a better writer was also making me a better thinker.  Writing forced me to have a good understanding of my subject in order to effectively communicate my thoughts,  research, and conclusions to my teachers and classmates. I also had to be able to defend my ideas, because writing also exposed me to scrutiny and challenge.  I came to appreciate the importance of being my own devil’s advocate.

It is possible for people to be good writers, and their messages turn out to be intellectually bankrupt.  Political speeches and propaganda are possible examples of this type of writing.  The writing sounds reasonable and maybe even inspiring, but turns out to be as substantial as a soap bubble when pricked by the slightest scrutiny.  It is important that we challenge the thinking behind our students’ writing.  We need them to be able to defend their positions and cite their sources of information.  We also need to teach them to establish the validity of their sources.  In addition, students need to critique the writing of others in order to discover how the writers develop their arguments, and to discover the writers’ biases, assumptions, or examples of lazy thinking.  These challenges will take them beyond just writing and on to deeper thinking.

This type of writing requires students to take big risks.  In order to prepare students for the challenges that will be directed at their ideas, they need to be able to trust their teachers and their classmates.  Teachers need to develop a safe and trusting environment in which discussion of multiple viewpoints is encouraged and no one feels personally attacked when asked to defend his or her position.

Orwell’s statement, found at the beginning of this blog entry, provides direction in helping our students become the critical thinkers they need to be.  In order to help our students think for themselves, and keep others from thinking for them, we need to have them write often in every subject while also challenging their assumptions, arguments, and conclusions in a safe and supportive environment that allows for risk-taking.

For additional information, see the links below.

Foundation for Critical Thinking

http://www.criticalthinking.org/

What is Writing?

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/pdf/writing.pdf

An excerpt from the book How to Write a Paragraph

http://www.criticalthinking.org/files/SAM-HowtoWrite.pdf

I wanted my class to be ready for differentiated instruction right from the start, so on the first day of school I asked them to tell me what the word “fair” means.  I wrote a few of their definitions on the board.  Usually the definitions were mostly about equality—something like “everybody doing the same thing the same way” or “everybody getting the same amount.”

Then I said something to the students like, “So, let’s say Mary breaks her leg and needs a cast and has to use crutches.  Then it is only fair that each person in our class gets a cast and uses crutches.  Is that right?”

The class responded that of course it’s not right.  I then reminded them of their definitions of fair by saying, “But you just told me that fair means everybody getting the same thing or everybody doing the same thing.  So to be fair, we all need to have casts and crutches, right?”

“No,” they responded.

“Then why is it ok for Mary to have a cast and crutches, but not the rest of us?”

“Because she needs the cast and crutches so she can get around.  The rest of us don’t need a cast and crutches.”

“So, would you say that it is fair for Mary to have a cast and crutches even though we all don’t have casts and crutches?”

“Yes.”

I continue with another example,  “Joe has glasses so he can see better.  Therefore, to be fair, we should all wear glasses, right?”

“No.”

“Why does Joe get to have glasses and the rest of you don’t?”

“Because he needs glasses to see and we don’t”

“So, it’s fair for Joe to have glasses, but not the rest of us.  Let’s look at the definition of ‘fair’ that we put on the board.  Do we need to redefine fair?”

“Yes.”

I then led students to define fair as everyone getting what they need in order to do their best.  I also said that as a teacher, I’m kind of like a doctor giving out prescriptions.  “I give students what they need in order to learn in the way that is best for each of them.  Sometimes Joe needs to do this paper because, just like a doctor, I know what Joe needs.  I may see that Sally needs to do something different than Joe, so I give her a different assignment.  Does that sound fair?”

My classes always agreed that this sounded fair.  If your class doesn’t agree, you might have to work the scenarios a bit more or maybe try a different analogy, such as a coaching one.  The coach assigns different drills to different players based on what each one needs to perform well in the game.

I finished with, “In this classroom this year, you will sometimes be doing something different than other students in the class.  This is because I’ve decided, like a doctor, that some of you need to do things a certain way in order to learn in a way that is best for you.  So, in this class, you might be doing something different than your neighbor, but it is because you each have different ways of learning or different skills to practice.  Does that sound fair?”

My classes always responded, “Yes.”  If yours doesn’t, you might give more examples or analogies to help drive the point home.  Also remind students of this definition several times through the school year—and when you hear someone complain, “That’s not fair,” review it with them again.

Hopefully, addressing the issue of “fair” early in the school year will help your students be more accepting of differentiation in your classroom.  I’d be interested to hear any strategies you have for developing the concept of “fair” in your classroom.  Please share in the comments section.

Nebraska Department of Education Health and Physical Education Page
http://www.nde.state.ne.us/PEHealth/

PE Videos at PE Central
This page has videos for teachers on a variety of physical education and health topics.
http://www.pecentral.org/mediacenter/videos.html

National Association for Sport and Physical Education
This site contains resources for teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/

Physical Education Teacher Evaluation Tool
All teachers benefit from meaningful, ongoing assessment and evaluation. The NASPE-developed Physical Education Teacher Evaluation Tool identifies the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to provide sound instruction in the K-12 physical education classroom. Its purpose is to assist principals, school district curriculum specialists, and others who evaluate physical education teachers as well as to guide physical education teachers in reflection and self-assessment, and serve as an instructional tool in college/university physical education teacher education programs.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/upload/Physical-Education-Teacher-Evaluation-Tool-2007.pdf

Classroom Energizers
Energizers are classroom based physical activities that integrate physical activity with academic concepts. These are short (about 10 minutes) activities that classroom teachers can use to provide activity to children which corresponds with the request from the North Carolina State Board of Education’s Healthy Active Children Policy for elementary teachers. There are energizers for Kindergarten through middle school.
http://www.ncpe4me.com/energizers.html

Through A Child’s Eyes Brochure
A great learning tool for parents and coaches that provides useful tips and advice for promoting sportsmanship and fun.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/upload/TACE_brochure.pdf

The Difference Between Physical Education and Physical Activity
With heightened attention on childhood obesity prevention efforts, there seems to be some confusion between the terms “physical education” and “physical activity.” Often the words are used interchangeably but they differ in important ways. Understanding the difference between the two is critical to understanding why both contribute to the development of healthy, active children.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/PAvsPE.cfm

Top Ten Reasons for Quality Physical Education
When they ask “why,” this is what you tell them.
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/upload/top10reasonsforQualityPE.pdf

Physical Education Update Blog
Monday Morning Musings on the World of Sports, Coaching & Physical Education
http://www.physicaleducationupdate.com/peblog/

More Students Taking Physical Education Online (news article)
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/25/online-physical-education/

PE Links4u
Large set of physical education links.
http://www.pelinks4u.org/

MrGym
You will find a wide variety of physical education games; cooperative games and activities, sports games, lead up activities, and much more. Also, ideas on physical education assessment, field day, cheap or free physical education equipment and more.
http://www.mrgym.com/

PE Central
Provides information about developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children. Contains over 1800 published lesson ideas.
http://www.pecentral.org/

http://kinderkidsdraw.wikispaces.com/

http://lesliedavison.wikispaces.com/Voicethread+Examples

http://voicethread.com/library/40/

Managing Arts in the Classroom
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3336/
This How-To offers guidance for managing arts-related classroom projects.

National Art Education Association
http://www.naea-reston.org/
Sections on lesson planning, some online publications.

Increasing Arts Demand Through Better Arts Learning
http://www.naea-reston.org/research/increasing-arts-demand-better-arts-learning.pdf
A Wallace “Knowledge in Brief” summarizes new research on how some cities are working to reverse a decades-long decline in arts education in ways that could also lift demand for the arts overall.

Education at the Getty—Resources for the Classroom
http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/
Lesson plans and lesson guides for K–12 grades and adult ESL learners.

Education at the Getty—Resources for Students
http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/student_resources/
Online games, videos, and activities for students.

National Gallery of Art—Classroom for Teachers and Students
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/
Access lessons and resources by curriculum, topic, or artist.

2-D Design Notes
http://daphne.palomar.edu/design/
This site contains the design notes for Jim Saw’s Art 104: Design and Composition class at Palomar College. The notes contain design theory as well as the assignments for the class.

Art Studio Chalkboard
http://studiochalkboard.evansville.edu/
These pages are a resource for artists and art students that focus on the technical fundamentals of perspective, shading, color and painting.

The Incredible Art Department
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/
The name of the site says it all.

Arts Edge
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teach/
the National Arts and Education Network — supports the placement of the arts at the center of the curriculum and advocates creative use of technology to enhance the K-12 educational experience. ARTSEDGE empowers educators to teach in, through, and about the arts by providing the tools to develop interdisciplinary curricula that fully integrate the arts with other academic subjects. ARTSEDGE offers free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, as well as professional development resources, student materials, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment.

Ursus Wehrli tidies up art
http://www.ted.com/talks/ursus_wehrli_tidies_up_art.html
In this comic video from TED, Ursus Wehrli shares his vision for a cleaner, more organized, tidier form of art — by deconstructing the paintings of modern masters into their component pieces, sorted by color and size.

Education Blogs by Discipline
http://movingforward.wikispaces.com/Education+Blogs+by+Discipline
This is a place to list subject-specific P-12-oriented blogs.

Americans for the Arts Public Awareness Campaign
http://www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/default.asp
In partnership with the Ad Council and local and state arts agencies around the country, Americans for the Arts have created promotional ads to encourage parents to ask for more. This site we gives them the tools to do so.

Protocols for Learning from Work, Text, Dilemmas, and Classroom Visits
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/protocols.html
A collection of protocols to help groups examine texts and work. Some of these can be adapted for use with students.

The Development of Western Music
http://www.datehookup.com/content-the-development-of-western-music.htm
The composers listed on this site provide a resource on how the development of western music took place. Some of these composers’ careers extended beyond the general historical periods they’re listed under.

Chorus Teacher Resources
http://www.fva.net/ctr/
Contains information on music advocacy, informational articles, classroom aids, classroom management, clinic/workshop handouts, concert program templates, curriculum, field trip permission slips, sample chorus handbooks, lesson plan templates, and much more.

Owning the Stage
http://www.owningthestage.com/
In this comprehensive blogsite, barbershop quartet champion Tom Metzger explores performance from many different angles.

Foundations of Effective Practicing
http://www.jtimothycaldwell.net/blogs/?page_id=25
Tips from J. Timothy Caldwell, author of Expressive Singing: Dalcroze Eurhythmics for Voice. Explore the links on the right side of the webpage for other information.

The Director’s Face
http://www.choralcoaching.com/wst_page7.html
A short article on facial expressions of directors as they direct. Explore the links on the left side of the webpage for other information.

Music Classroom Management
http://www.mtmusiced.org/MgtExtended.pdf
Contains an pros and cons of various classroom management philosophies, the top 10 classroom management sins, recipes for successful choir and instrumental rehearsals, choir and instrumental rehearsals evaluation tools, music student self-evaluation form, rehearsal “tricks,” etc.

The Twin Foundations of “Pindrop Quiet” Band and Orchestra Rehearsals
http://www.midwestclinic.org/clinicianmaterials/2004/david_newell.pdf
David Newell’s plan for managing band and orchestra rehearsals.

The Happy Classroom
http://www.keynotesmagazine.com/article/?uid=169
Suggestions to help encourage students to stay in music programs year after year.

Arts Edge
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teach/
the National Arts and Education Network — supports the placement of the arts at the center of the curriculum and advocates creative use of technology to enhance the K-12 educational experience. ARTSEDGE empowers educators to teach in, through, and about the arts by providing the tools to develop interdisciplinary curricula that fully integrate the arts with other academic subjects. ARTSEDGE offers free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, as well as professional development resources, student materials, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment.

MENC—Band Archive
http://www.menc.org/a/band/
Articles related to working with school bands.

MENC—Chorus Archive
http://www.menc.org/a/chorus/
Articles related to working with school choirs.

Lead Like the Great Conductors
http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors.html
An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

Education Blogs by Discipline
http://movingforward.wikispaces.com/Education+Blogs+by+Discipline
This is a place to list subject-specific P-12-oriented blogs.

Americans for the Arts Public Awareness Campaign
http://www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/default.asp
In partnership with the Ad Council and local and state arts agencies around the country, Americans for the Arts have created promotional ads to encourage parents to ask for more. This site we gives them the tools to do so.

Music Education Madness Site
http://www.musiceducationmadness.com/downloads.shtml
Check out this section for some great free downloads, including teaching aids and musical gizmos!

Music Tech Teacher
http://musictechteacher.com/
Student work, pictures and music compositions are on this site. The site is also used to provide music technology links, quizzes, resources and information to all music teachers interested in using technology to enhance music instruction.

Ricci Adams’ Musictheory.net
http://www.musictheory.net/
Collection of lessons, trainers and utilities.

Protocols for Learning from Work, Text, Dilemmas, and Classroom Visits
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/protocols.html
A collection of protocols to help groups examine texts and work. Some of these can be adapted for use with students.

Maybe it’s time for teachers to look for ways to embrace the cell phone and turn it from a distraction into a tool to enhance instruction. A simple way to start exploring this possibility might be to use those cell phones as a type of classroom response system. A classroom response system allows students to respond to a teacher’s question by electronic means such as a “clicker“.

Poll Everywhere is a website that helps you accomplish the same task, but with student cell phones instead of clickers. Polleverywhere allows you to create a multiple choice poll question along with the possible choices. Students then select one of the choices and text that choice with their phones.

A good way to see the possibilities of using this would be to watch the video of a 9th grade history teacher (Greg Kulowiec) using Polleverywhere with his class. Notice how the graph changes as students text in their votes. The video is found on the blog Teaching With Classroom Response Systems. Also read the pedagogical observations found below the video.

You can set up a free PollEverywhere account for an audience of 30 students. This means that up to 30 people could respond to the poll at a time. For $15 a month, you can set up an account for an audience of 50.

For additional information, refer to the PollEverywhere FAQ at http://www.polleverywhere.com/faq

• Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)–Differentiated Instruction
• Differentiating for Advanced Learners Personalized Learning
• 11 Practical Ways to Guide Teachers Toward Differentiation
• Instructional Strategies–Differentiated Learning
• Gifted and Talented
• Differentiated Instruction and Anchor Activities
• Anchor Activities
• Partners in Learning–Differentiated Instruction
• Cubing and Think Dots
• RAFT Writing
• Best Practices–Learning Contracts
• How to Create and Use a Learning Contract
• Tiered Instruction
• More Differentiated Instruction Links

I tried embedding the video into this post, but didn’t have any luck.  You can find the video at http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-tips-classroom-management-handshake-video

In McCook, Dr. Jenkins brought up homework by asking the question, “Is homework a subject or a strategy?”   He contends that it is a strategy that we use to help students practice and master the skills and concepts we would like them to master.  If the purpose of homework is to practice, then mistakes on the homework should be viewed as temporary rather than permanent.  Students should have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes and correct them.

Dr. Jenkins uses a “referee/coach” metaphor to help teachers think about their dual roles in the classroom.  Most of the time, teachers should be in the coaching role in order to help their students to higher levels of success.  “During coaching time, [teachers] sample items for informational learning and sample students for performance learning” (Jenkins, 2004, p. 107).  Homework and classroom work would be a couple of ways teachers could sample student learning and then coach them as needed.  Every once in awhile the teacher must take on the role of the referee.  In this role, the teacher will more formally assess the student’s mastery of the standard and assign a grade.

So if homework is practice and the teacher is the coach, why do we assign grades to homework?  The referee of a game doesn’t usually show up for the practices.  Therefore, shouldn’t grading take place once students have had ample opportunity to practice alongside a good coach?

Many teachers may think students won’t do the homework if there is not a grade associated with it.  Other teachers might be required by their districts’ grading policies to have weekly or daily grades.  These are legitimate concerns.  Dr. Jenkins offered one strategy shared with him by a high school teacher.  I see some merit in this.  Maybe it will work for some of you.

John McDonald’s Homework Policy

1. I give homework.
2. I don’t collect it or grade it.
3. Every time I give an assignment, the following day the students get a two question quiz on the homework.  I don’t use the same two questions for other sessions of the same course.

The policy isn’t perfect, especially if the students have been practicing mistakes on their homework.  Therefore it is important that students have had an opportunity to identify and correct mistakes before they are sent home with the assignment.  Feel free to share your thoughts on the controversial subject of homework and grades.

Reference

Jenkins, L. (2004).  Permission to forget and nine other root causes of America’s frustration with education. ASQ Quality Press:  Milwaukee