TED videos are a great resource-check them out

I want to share one of my favorite websites and YouTube channels with you. TED is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to sharing ideas. They have short videos from presenters that are usually very short, less than 20 minutes long. From technology to handling stress, I have found them to be very informative and enjoy watching them. Face it, they do not take up much of your time to watch, however many have a great impact. Once I attended a workshop on living with people with mental disabilities. I found the speaker had spoken at a TED Talk so I looked for her video. It was great to hear her back story and how she lived with Autism and has learned to manage it. Even though this was not part of the discussion for the workshop I attended, hearing her story put an entirely different perspective on meeting her and listening to her ideas.

When I first came to know TED Talks, they were geared mainly towards technology. Over time they have evolved into a wealth of information across a variety of topics. They have Ted-X conferences, Ted-Ed lessons, Ted-Student Talks just to name a few. I will share them with you from time to time but you may want to check out their website and YouTube channel. There are so many interesting videos of real life experiences and educational tips you are bound to find something that you can't wait to watch. You may even find some to share with your children to overcome something they are struggling with in school. Their slogan is true, "Ideas worth spreading." Hope you enjoy checking them out!

Links:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

https://www.ted.com/

EngageNY Helps Parents Define Curriculum

Suzie comes home from school and wants help with her homework. She needs to prepare for a test and just doesn't understand the content or where to start. Mom's head is spinning trying to help Suzie, she just is not sure what to do. What can she do to help Suzie with her work? She can check out EngageNY!

According to the EngageNY website, "EngageNY.org is developed and maintained by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to support the implementation of key aspects of the New York State Board of Regents Reform Agenda. This is the official web site for current materials and resources related to the Regents Reform Agenda." This is meant to be a resource for parents to be able to keep in touch with grades PreK-12 curriculum. There are resources to explain what information is being taught for core subjects in each grade level. Parents can read information about the Common Core Curriculum and the Next Generation Learning Standards. You will find a library of resources for parents and families including documents, educational activities and videos to help their child succeed in school.

I have seen this website grow over the past few years since it's implementation. The New York State Education Department is doing a great job communicating information on changes and what is expected in school. These guidelines being implemented will help students succeed as they approach New York State Regents Exams in high school. As you browse through the website, don't become overwhelmed as there is a lot to it. Take your time and look at small sections had a time. It is quite easy to maneuver, but there is a wealth of information to take in.

You can also check out the EngageNY YouTube channel. There are videos listed in several categories that may be of interest such as Guide to New York Assessments, Math Studio Talk, Common Core and more. Don't forget, you can also reach out to your child's teacher or principal for more information on what is expected in school. Reaching out only takes a few minutes and can contribute to your child's success.

What's a School Report Card?

It's that time if year those colorful reports arrive in the mail letting you know how your child did on New York State Math and English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments last spring. The bar charts let you know where your child stands in a range scale from one to four. Actually, the state does a pretty good job explaining what the numbers mean in terms parents can understand. More than likely your child's school included a cover letter breaking it down a little more and indicating what their criteria is for academic intervention services (AIS) for students that fall below the grade level threshold.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Where does all of the data come from and how do schools stack up against each other?  The state provides this information for the assessment results on data.nysed.gov known as School Report Cards. The site is fairly easy to understand but there is a lot of data to find if you just poke around a bit. You can take a look at specific groups by filtering the data by male/female, ethnicity,  grade, etc. when you click on the links to 3-8 ELA or math assessment data. There are archives to previous year's data as well.

State-wide information is great but you want to know about data closer to home. Navigating through the website pages you can find information broken down by county, BOCES,  districts and schools.  Once you are viewing data for math or ELA statewide or broken down to one of these groups, you can easily download the information as a PDF or compare the data with other specific groups by using their My Comparisons tool. This is also a great way to get a background on school districts out of your area if you are relocating to make informed decisions on where to make your new home.

There continues to be a lot of controversy on whether parents should refuse to have their child take state assessments.  (Also known as Opt-out.) Parents will campaign to get other parents to keep their kids from being tested, and even some teachers have been known to encourage test refusal. It's not the only criteria schools normally use to see if your child needs extra help. It does help gather data so districts can see trends and thresholds by comparing to state-wide data and within their own buildings and grade levels. What do they do with this data? They make informed decisions on curriculum to improve your child's education. While state assessments are just a piece of the puzzle, without the information school districts would not have guidelines to know where to target instruction.  You can see your child taking an assessment is more than just to see where your child stands in a range, the information provides a report card for your school district as compared to the state as a whole. This also helps the state decide what schools need improvement to intervene with resources to improve education.

What are your kids doing in the Digital World? Common Sense Media can help you out.

It is Saturday night and I thought I would share something outside the classroom. Common Sense Media is a "nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century." Their goal is to provide information to families to help them make decisions, stay safe and how to talk about difficult situations.

On this website you will find book, video game and movie reviews with age appropriate targets. The reviews list what to expect so parents can make an educated decision on letting their children see a movie or play a video game. There are articles on keeping children safe online and dealing with real-life situations. Articles provide scenarios and provide suggestions how to handle the situation. As found in this article on cyberbullying, you may even learn what some jargon kids are saying today. For example, ghosting is when you cut off online contact with a friend. I only recently heard of this term. Griefing is a term I have never heard but it refers to online gaming when a co-player intentionally kills you off or steals your loot. As a parent it is good to know the new jargon kids talk about. This site will definitely help.

Common Sense Media also has several videos that you may find interesting. I found the review on the newly released Halloween movie to be very informative. It lets you know what to expect and offers a violence scale. On the more pleasant side, There was also a video showing recommendations for the five best Halloween books for kids. You will also find videos on digital citizenship, different apps kids use, what they are watching and more. Visit their YouTube Channel to check them out.

I think you will find what they share very informative. Perhaps in future posts I will share more of their articles and videos to start a discussion.

Blended Learning and the Flipped Classroom

If you have heard the term blended learning you may have wondered why things were getting mixed up in the classroom. What does that mean to student learning? As with personalized learning students can learn at their own pace. Blended learning combines traditional classroom methods with digital media to enhance learning. Teachers will provide a lesson, but the student can work on the tasks required on their own, with the teacher available to provide assistance when needed.

You may have heard the term flipped classroom and thought that meant the students take over the teaching. They don't take over teaching, but do take learning into their own hands. Teachers will assign a lesson to watch online, outside of the classroom. Students then can do work assigned on that topic during the class when the teacher is present to assist.  I have heard some parents concerned about this format since their child does not have "homework" to work on daily. But in a sense they still are, it is just being done in the classroom.

Since I seem to like providing videos to explain these terms, here is one about blended learning and the flipped classroom.

Four Core of Personalized Learning

Personalized Learing is an approach to learning that is not "one size fits all." Instruction is personalized to the student's needs and interests. We all have been in school and have probably felt a different approach or teacher would have helped us learn better. Personalized Learning is the term used that teachers are approaching instruction that way to reach every student based on their academics at their pace.

Education Elements is an organization that works with school districts to build personalized learning into their curriculum. They have provided information to parents that explains the different approaches. Read through the Core Four of Personalized Learning: Overview for Parents to gain a better understanding of how your child may be learning in school. I will touch base on each of the areas for you.

Flexible Content and Tools

This core states instructional materials allow for differentiated path, pace and performance tasks. This means the student may use different platforms for collaboration with other students and to demonstrate knowledge. Materials used consist of online content, textbooks or worksheets and are flexible which allows each student to learn at their own pace.

Targeted Instruction

This core states that instruction is aligned to specific student needs and learning goals. Teachers will identify needs and provide instuction based on those needs. The students may work in small groups, one on one or on their own at their pace. This type of instruction ensures the student will get the instruction as they need it rather than moving ahead on a skillset they have not mastered.

Student Reflection and Ownership

This core states Ongoing student reflection promotes ownership of learning. The student will think about what they have learned and what they still need to. They will set their own goals and take ownership of their learning. This core helps prepare them for future growth both personally and professionally.

Data Driven Instruction

This core states frequent data collection informs instructional decisions and groupings. Data is collected from various sources such as assessments, performance on computer based instruction, exit tickets, surveys, individualized tracking and more. This data is used to help the teacher decide what, how and in what manner the student will learn next.

I hope this article helps parents understand personalized learning a little bit more. It is not a traditional way of learning we knew when we went to school and might wonder how come the student gets to make so many decisions or how come a friend is working on different homework. It all has to do with starting to take ownership of thier learning and finding the best way they can reach their goals. In the long run it is hoped they become better decision makers and collaborators, skillsets they need in their personal and professional life because it is not "one size fits all."

Source:

Elements, E. (n.d.). Core Four of Personalized Learning: Overview for Parents. Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.edelements.com/core-four-overview-for-parents-html?hsCtaTracking=cf3a2ff0-49fc-4a2b-8394-f37abbbd4e8a|7e2c6737-221a-4397-819b-c61bfd3b5411

What is Personalized Learning?

Personalized learning is a form of instruction where teacher's curriculum is flexible and designed for each student. Opportunities are given to students to learn in a variety of ways and at their own pace. When curriculum is designed to move forward whether the student learned the skill or not, students can fall behind. I found this to be the case with my own daughter in elementary school. She struggled in math as she had a learning disability. Since the curriculum was based on benchmarks, the teacher moved on to the next skillset even though she did not fully understand the content. Understand she needed to know how to do that skill in order to be successful on the next skill. This frustrated her and me as you can imagine. Through the years I felt like she kept falling farther and farther behind. I think back wishing they offered personalized learning when she was in school.

I wanted to share this video from EDUCAUSE that explains what personalized learning is.  The visuals help to explain it and how it can benefit student learning. (Rather than write a long post you will get tired of reading!)

I also found this video that explains the difference between individualized learning and differentiated instruction and how they work together with personalized learning. You may have heard these terms and thought they all were the same, yet each is unique in its own way. Working these instruction models into the classroom will help the student will succeed.