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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Changing My Frame: Opening Minds #cyberPD (Part 2)

"Establish a classroom discourse in which people notice and can talk about change with an eye toward possibility."  Peter Johnston, Opening Minds (p. 50)

This is the second week of our professional learning conversation about Opening Minds by Peter Johnston.  Today's #cyberPD event is hosted by Jill Fisch at My Primary Passion.  If you are joining the conversation,  you'll want to leave your link there.  Jill will then add it to her post, and I will begin to move them into our Event Jog.  You'll want to stop by to read the comments and to follow the links to other reflections.  Last week we had over 25 blogs participating, in addition to reflections on the #cyberPD wallwisher and in the comments section of the host blog.  Laura Komos will be hosting our final reflection post on the remaining chapters, Wednesday, July 25th, at Our Camp Read-A-Lot.  Our Twitter chat will be Thursday, July 26th, at 7:00 p.m. EST.  Also, keep an eye on Stenhouse's Blogstitute event where Peter Johnston will soon be joining the conversation.

Feedback
When I finished reading chapters 1-3 for last week's #cyberPD conversation, I could hardly stop myself.  I glanced at chapter 4 titled "'Good Job!' Feedback, Praise, and Other Responses," and wanted to continue to read.  Our school has been working on improving the feedback we provide for students for a few years now and I was curious to hear what Johnston had to say about it.

I'm finding this book to be very helpful in reflecting upon the language I use in the classroom as I work beside young learners each day.  It really may be one of the most thought-provoking professional books I've read in awhile, and I've read some amazing professional books that I would gladly reread.  Johnston carefully supports his thinking with examples, helps the reader to see how this language would work in the classroom, and then shares the impact on future learning.  I'm finding it helps me to envision truly giving more ownership in learning to my students.  I'm beginning to develop a plan for helping them to move toward a dynamic-learning frame by improving the feedback they provide to themselves and to their peers.

Goodbye "I like the way..."
I'm sure I am not supposed to be judging my language as I read this book, but it is hard to resist.  I think I'm supposed to be thinking, if I [have been saying this], and I [tried saying this instead], then [it would have this effect].  I appreciated Johnston's honesty in his section about praise.  He caught my attention right away with his chosen chapter quote,
"The trouble with most of us is that we'd rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism."  Norman Vincent Peale
I'm a little guilty of saying, "I like the way...".  Thankfully, as I reflect I seem to use it most to modify behavior, but I've been to known to say "I like the way..." before naming a strategy I see a student trying out.  I appreciated Johnston's distinction between praising students and being positive.  Johnston reminds us, "Reducing praise does not mean giving up being positive.  Positive feedback...is particularly for establishing the foundation from which to build. (p. 47)"  If I have been saying "I like the way..." and I start saying "look at how you" then students will begin to move toward process thinking which will greatly impact future learning.  Goodbye, "I like the way..."

Leveling the Learning Field
Of course, saying "look at how you" may be a way of scaffolding learning, but it doesn't seem nearly as powerful as asking, "How did you..." and having students articulate the process to set up a narrative for future learning.  Johnston discussed ways we, as teachers, can move ourselves out of a controlling role in the classroom:

  • ask open ended questions
  • give enough wait time
  • genuinely listen, don't judge children's ideas (watch that language)
  • allow students to specify who will respond
  • use tentative markers (I wonder...could...)

Ultimately I want to move myself out of the position of being the person who provides feedback, and move students into the position of providing feedback for themselves and their peers.  To do this, students will need to learn how to talk to one another.  I know this will mean that the language I use will be important as it will be the model for the way discourse happens in the classroom.  I hope to create an environment where students know how to teach each other.  Learners will need to be comfortable taking risks in learning.  Johnston reminds us, "We need to be certain that we are okay whether or not we are successful, are confused, or make mistakes."


Let's Talk
I've always been a little nervous having visitors in my room.  It's not a quiet classroom where everybody does their work.  It's a classroom where students talk together during reader's, writer's, math workshop and content studies.  It's not easy to teach students how talk can sound in a classroom.  What are the conversations we should be having?  How do we respect students who prefer a quieter place to learn?  How should our voices sound?  What do we do when a conversation gets off track?  How do we remember what we learned from each other?  How do we disagree?  How do we grow thinking?

Johnston states, "Much of the feedback children receive comes from their peers (p. 36)."  Thank you, Peter, for helping me to get a more concrete understanding of what language to use, listen for, and share with students.  Johnston's discussion about feedback, dialogic classrooms, and language will be helpful in thinking about the conversations we have when we talk together, when we turn and talk in pairs, when we work with friends in Reader's Workshop, when we help another writer with a story, when small groups of mathematicians and scientists gather, and when we share at the closing of our workshops.   

Some Quotes
(When this list started there were over 20 quotes.  I made myself cut the list to the 10 most important.)
  • "Clearly, process- and effort-oriented feedback are the best options....I am inclined to go with process feedback...it gets children into the habit of explaining successes and failures in terms of strategy use....The more process talk becomes part of classroom conversations, the more strategy instruction will be occurring incidentally." (p. 40) 
  • "Even private praise has its complexities.  When children are fully engaged in an activity, if we praise them we can simply distract them from what they are doing and turn their attention to pleasing us." (p. 42)
  • "They (Troyer and Youngreen) found that when ideas could be criticized, the group generated more ideas and they were more creative than when either the person could be criticized or even when their was no evaluation at all." (p. 48)
  • "Formative assessment isn't only the teacher's responsibility.  In the end, the community members need to be able to recognize how to take stock of their own and each other's learning and respond  to it in ways that provide a productive path forward." (p. 50)
  • "A dialogic classroom is one in which there are lots of open questions and extended exchanges among students....classrooms in which there are multiple interpretations and perspectives." (p. 52)
  • "They (students) understand that knowledge is constructed, that it is influenced by one's perspective and by different contexts, and that we should expect and value different perspectives because they help to expand our understanding." (p. 57)
  • "It is the perception of uncertainty that enables dialogue." (p. 59)
  • "We have to help them learn to imagine what goes on inside their heads, and not just the cognitive strategies being used to solve problems, but the complex social-emotional logic that lies behind their behavior." (p. 69)
  • "Critical literacy requires imagining others' intentions, adopting multiple perspectives, and imagining social relationships that don't exist yet.  Writers or speakers attempting to persuade an audience are more likely to be effective if they can imagine the feelings, reactions, and motives of their audience." (p. 73)
  • "The more developed a person's social imagination, the higher their level of social cooperation, the larger their social network, and the more positively they are viewed by their peers." (p. 73)
Some Questions

  • How will I change our goal setting conversation to help us move toward a dynamic-learning frame?
  • How will I arrange for class members to manage turn talking with one another?  
  • How will conversations during conferring change so my role stays that of another reader/writer/mathematician and not the teacher with the ultimate answers?
  • How will these chapters impact my role as a team member on grade level, building, and district teams?  
  • How do we maintain scholarly conversation about learning in data team meetings (where sometimes the goal is one learning objective for an entire grade level...conformity)?  
  • Considering social imagination, what different types of questions should we be asking about children brought to our intervention team for support with issues of behavior and social interactions?  


Language for the Classroom
  • How did you do that?
  • Is there another way to do it?
  • Could you think of other ways that would also work?
  • Look at how you.... (which doesn't seem quite as powerful as "How did you...")
  • [You did this] and if you [tried this], then [it would have this effect].
  • It sounds like you have a different idea.
  • So why do you think...
  • I'm wondering...




26 comments:

  1. Cathy,

    You were so detailed in explaining your thinking about your feedback and how you plan to change it. It helps me think through the changes that I need to make, too.

    I find that adding words and phrases to the language I use is much easier than removing them.
    For example, I originally started this comment by saying "I loved how you..." and realized that I should take myself out of it. That shift in thinking is easy to understand but difficult to actually put in practice.

    Wouldn't it be great if we all had another teacher in the room with us all the time to help us change our language?

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    Replies
    1. That's what I loved about having a student teacher last year, an extra set of ears, eyes, and hands.

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  2. Thank you Cathy for sharing your great thinking with Peter's book, Opening Minds.

    It just reminds me that...Talking and discourse patterns are complex and important, especially if we want our kids to think for themselves.

    Brad

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  3. Cathy
    I like the way you ...

    Seriously, thank you again for another honest and thought provoking post. One of the fascinating things for me in this event is comparing the takeaways that we all have. While there is comfort in reading something that highlights the same thought bombs I was struck by, it is more thought provoking to go back and look at quotes that didn't necessarily catch my eye the first time. I read your post today with the book and a pen right beside the computer.

    Thanks,
    Tony

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    Replies
    1. I have noticed the same thing. Sometimes I have to pick up the book to see if the quote is really there. Of course, it always is. It makes me wonder how much I really miss when reading alone.

      Delete
  4. Cathy,

    After reading these chapters, I felt Peter Johnston left us with a trail of language to use in the classroom that will lead us to using language that changes lives. In fact, he even gave us language that steers us away from our visions...hence...the "I like" path. I was so happy to see your list at the end called Language for the Classroom. It is nice to have a spot to see those "trail of phrases" that will support the dynamic frame in our classroom.

    Thanks for a thoughtful post!!!!!! :)

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  5. Cathy, I had a lot of connections with your thoughtful reflections. I use "I like the way you..." a lot to notice and name strategies and this chapter has been so helpful with suggestions on how to use better language. I love your language for the classroom.

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    1. Thanks, Amy. I'm wondering if, as primary teachers, we do this more than other educators. Not sure, but know I'm going to work hard to fix it. Perhaps we can remind one another.

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  6. My to-do list:
    1. go back through the book and make myself a cheat-sheet of phrases.
    2. think through how I am going to teach kids to have conversations without raising their hands and funneling all talk through me.

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    1. Mary Lee,
      This conversation piece is going to be front and center for me this year. Teaching first graders to listen to one another is something I always work toward, but perhaps focusing on listening instead of thinking, sharing, or learning is where I go wrong. Maybe I need to change the conversation a bit.

      Cathy

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  7. I love the frame that you provided of how we can reflect constructively as we read through the ideas, rather than being to critical of ourselves.

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  8. Cathy,
    It seems you won't have to go back and change as much when it comes to using the phrase, "I like how you..." That phrase runs rampant in my dialogue with students, and has for over 29+ years. It is something I will have to work incredibly hard at this year, but after reading this book, I believe is will be well worth my effort!

    And, after reading both your post and Mary Lee's comments, I will ditto her to-do list. Ann Marie talked about this hand raising thing a long time ago, and I just never quite got the knack of it.

    Once again, you help me raise the bar for myself. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thankfully, because of many conversations, professional reads, and continued learning, I had already started to shift toward more strategic conversations in the classroom. I think our conversation about Conferring last year helped with this too. Now to just take off all of those beginnings...

      Delete
  9. Morning Cathy! I started to read your post last night, but decided it was way too detailed and way too smart for me to make any kind of intelligent response. Decided to come back and revisit your post this morning.

    Every time I read something you have written, I wish, I wish, I wish that you lived in Denver, and taught right across the hall from me, because I know I would learn so, so, so much from you. I so admire your close, close, close attention to detail and your deep thoughtfulness about your classroom practice. You push me to try new things…

    I want to go back, for instance, and make a list of quotes from Johnston. Maybe I will do it later today (after I do some housework!) Like you, I suspect I will have a long list and I can't imagine trying to narrow it down.

    I started writing my post by jotting a list of questions, kind of like the list you include in your post. Many of your questions resonated with me, particularly those about PD, since I am going to be a literacy coach this year.
    • How will I change our goal setting conversation to help us move toward a dynamic-learning frame?
    • How will these chapters impact my role as a team member on grade level, building, and district teams?
    • How do we maintain scholarly conversation about learning in data team meetings (where sometimes the goal is one learning objective for an entire grade level...conformity)?
    • Considering social imagination, what different types of questions should we be asking about children brought to our intervention team for support with issues of behavior and social interactions?

    I also wondered how I could apply this same thinking to my parenting of adolescent boys. It seems like there are some definite take aways.

    And like so many of us, I am creating a cheat sheet or language list of phrases I want to include in my work with kids and teachers next year!

    Thinking it might be fun to add one more week of Cyber PD, after we have finished the book and talked on Twitter, and have everyone share their top ten takeaways, or three things they plan to implement in their classrooms, or their cheat sheets. If people wanted to do that I would be willing to host.

    Thanks so much for your great insights. And also for organizing this forum for rich thinking and conversations!

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    1. Carol,
      Thank you for taking so much time to comment. It's hard enough to read the book, write the posts, read everyone's posts, and attempt to comment. Taking the time to really think like this is much appreciated. I wish I lived in Denver too - for that matter I wish I had visited Denver at some point in my life - so we could chat about all we are learning. I like your idea for follow-up to the event. Let's talk about that.

      Since leaving my role as a literacy coach, I often think about what I would do differently if I were in that position again. Thinking about Johnston's book as a coach adds multiple layers.

      Cathy

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  10. Hi Cathy-
    I loved reading your ideas around the "Let's Talk" section of this post. They are so real and I loved the questions you lined up to set the stage for helping you think about kids engaging the conversation. How do we disagree? How do we remember what to do when conversation gets off track? How do we grow our thinking?...these all sound like great mini-lessons we could guide kids in thinking about. You have given me lots to think about.

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    1. I'm thinking our Reader's Workshop charts will look a little different this year. Your comment about staying focused on meaning in conversations, and many of these questions, will help us get started.

      Delete
  11. Hi Cathy,
    I'm becoming even more aware of my language as I read this book too. There is so much information to consider in these chapters that I find myself wanting to reread different parts of this book already. I love the questions you listed at the end of your post, particularly the last three. I'm wondering about how this book will impact my interactions with others too. I have to share this book with my colleagues. As you said in the beginning of your post, "It really may be one of the most thought-provoking professional books that I've read in awhile, and I've read some amazing professional books that I would gladly reread." Ditto!
    Val

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    Replies
    1. It will be a little strange to go back to a building that hasn't read the book. I hadn't really thought about that. You are right, we'll have to share the message with our staffs. I want to be able to have these conversations in our hallway chats. Thankfully, I have this community to help keep me on track too.

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  12. Cathy,
    Your questions always make me stop and think... and run to get a pen to write them down! It really helps push me to think in new and different ways. I was especially struck by your first paragraph of "Let's Talk." It's comforting to hear others talk about their classrooms in this way! It is almost impossible to walk into my room and not hear voices sharing their learning... and that's ok. Thank you!
    ~Laura

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    1. Laura,
      I worry that people coming in for brief visits have no way of capturing the significance of the conversations kids are having. Can they hear the words from previous focus lessons? Do they understand the conversations students are having with one another? I've tried to train myself to not listen to the level of the sound, but the quality of the conversations taking place. It's not easy. When I went to school you NEVER talked in class. Trust me, I know, I wrote a lot of sentences in my day. "I will not talk in class." Imagine that. I know I learn much more when talking with others.

      Cathy

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  13. Cathy,
    Good point--anchor charts for workshop times will probably need to be tweaked. Thank you for sharing about the dynamics (and that it is not always pianissimo) in your classroom. The following sentence in your reply to Laura struck me as brilliant: "I've tried to train myself to not listen to the level of the sound, but the quality of the conversations taking place."

    Amber

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  14. I think I'm supposed to be thinking, if I [have been saying this], and I [tried saying this instead], then [it would have this effect]. Made me laugh out loud! Like you, this book has given me so much to think about. Rereading it with this group had deepened my understanding of the book and it's giving me some new things to consider. Your post is very thoughtful and insightful! Thanks~~

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  15. Cathy
    This quote is great.

    "Formative assessment isn't only the teacher's responsibility. In the end, the community members need to be able to recognize how to take stock of their own and each other's learning and respond to it in ways that provide a productive path forward." (p. 50)

    This is assessment as learning, and it is the biggest part of formative learning. It is especially not the teacher's responsibility; it is about the student learning to think about his/her thinking. Why was I successful in this task? What strategies did I use that helped me be successful? What do I need to remember about the way I learn that is best for me? When students can identify and recognize their own personal resources, they are in a powerful learning position.

    Johnston's work on language certainly challenges all notions of authority and top down learning. Ahh...to be open-minded; to take the hand of the child and to be led. We have so much to learn.

    And ditto 'your post is so insightful' comments by others and the 'thank yous' for providing all of us this opportunity to connect. Somewhere else there are some comments about how unique this type of PD is, and I couldn't agree more. I think maybe it is the medium. Hmmm...What would Marshall McLuhan say about this?

    Julie

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  16. Cathy,

    I really like this quote that you pulled out, "A dialogic classroom is one in which there are lots of open questions and extended exchanges among students....classrooms in which their are multiple interpretations and perspectives." (p. 52) A classroom shouldn't be quiet -- when visitors walk into our rooms, they should expect to hear conversation among students. It's within these conversations that real learning begins. Thank you for your very thoughtful take on this section. Your thinking pushes me to think in new and different ways.

    Dawn

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