Teacher Evaluations

The National Education Association (NEA),  in 2010  stated that the primary purpose for evaluation teachers should be to improve the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and classroom practice of professional educators. The reality is teacher evaluations continue to be flawed.  Each administrator, each district, each state may interpret the purpose of teacher evaluation differently.

Sadly, rather than using it as a source of ongoing teacher training, identifying areas of growth, and to enhance teaching practice, evaluations  are used to sort teachers, rewarding the top and firing the bottom. (NEA, 2011) 

Another issue is the subjectivity of the evaluator.  Although a rubric may be followed to rate the teacher, subjective opinions come into play. Another conundrum of implementing meaning evaluations is that not all teaching dispositions are not easily measured objectively.

Just like there are different learning styles, we all vary in our teaching style.  A more animated energetic teacher may be just what is in order for a student who thrives in high energy and fast paced learning environment.  However, to another student who gets easily distracted and needs a slower paced calm learning environment most likely would not thrive with the same teacher.  So does this make the teacher a "good" teacher or a "bad" teacher?  A better question is, is he an effective teacher?  The answer would be "it depends".  

Reality is like any other profession, there has to be a way to assess the quality of the educator.  Do we meet the various dispositions that research and observation have deemed necessary to be effective in the classroom.  

Here is a great source explaining Dispositions and Examples.

In my opinion the key component of determining if you are an effective teacher or not is Relationship building or Unconditional Positive Regard. Are you able to connect with all of your students?  Do you even make an effort to make that connection?  Are you able to turn every student even the challenging ones into allies?

Is the culture in your classroom one of collaboration and encouragement?  If you answered YES to those questions you are on your way to being a highly effective teacher.  You know the old saying "Students don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care". 

When I think of my favorite teachers growing up in the 70s and 80s I don't remember what they taught me.  I remember how they made me feel about myself.  

When I get evaluated I need it to be a productive tool to highlight my areas of shine, my areas of growth, and areas that need to grow.  I need it to be an avenue to prompt open dialogue with my evaluator of how to become a good teacher to a great teacher.  

I need the evaluation to be an objective measurement that has some subjectivity included to help guide me in self reflection on things I can celebrate and areas I need to improve.

References

NEA Teacher Evaluation Resource Guide - NEA - NEA Home. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2017, from http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=4572440A26184DF2861AB669147640CD&CID=119782FB8C3963CA0CA389EF8D3F6245&rd=1&h=KIIASAaYGCkSKGiwHrIHCc4oZaIAGfNEdHVNlTffNxM&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nea.org%2fassets%2fdocs%2fteacherevalguide2011.pdf&p=DevEx,5066.1

Web.utk.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://web.utk.edu/

My thoughts on High-Stakes Assessments

High Stakes testing is an enigma.  This type of testing is important because standardized testing is an objective indicator of student performance.  They ensure objectivity because professionals familiar with the skills necessary to meet state standards write them.

These tests are used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts.  Most commonly used for accountability.  The attempt by federal, state, and/or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers.

Generally, these tests are used as punishments or sanctions.  Funding reductions and negative publicity are common.  They are used to award teachers, schools, and districts if students perform well on these tests.  Salary increase, bonuses, or promotion for teachers and administrators can be a result of good test taking skills.   Adversely, teachers can be placed on probation or lose their jobs for poor test takers. Students are also having consequences depending on their performance on these tests. Many states use high stakes testing for grade advancement and graduation.  

Yes, high-stakes testing matters.  After all, we can tell a lot about a student who gets high grades on high stakes testing.  We can tell that they are good at taking test.  They possess great test taking skills. They may even be able to memorize content.

Students who perform well on tests should not be chastised. I am sure you sensed my sarcasm in the previous paragraph.  Their achievement should be celebrated.  However, students who perform poorly on high stakes tests should not be chastised either.

Some people just do not test well for various reasons.  Poor test taking skills, high anxiety, learning differences, or they perform better on authentic or performance based assessments. I understand that High-Stakes is not defined by  the format of a test but defined by  how the results are used.  However, most of the time it is a standardized test that does not test for other levels learning or intelligences.

I believe that an old blog post would be appropriate to be placed here for more thoughts regarding diverse learners and viewing all students as capable. http://ritamolino.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-am-compelled-to-write-and-say-this.html

I read somewhere from a proponent of High Stakes testing and the use of them that they are necessary because they tell the good students apart from the bad ones.  WHAT?!  That is the fundamental problem I have with the use of these tests in most schools.  There are no “bad ones”.  There are diverse learners.  

How about this reason:  It is a great predictor of success?  UM NO!  I would be an utter failure if High-Stakes testing was a predictor of success.  I do not test well on standardized high stakes test.  I never have, never will.  Good Thing SUNY Fredonia didn’t only look at my SAT and ACT scores but also looked at my school grades, student council participation, volunteer work, internship at the county legislative office, and for just being an all-around decent student.  If they hadn’t, I would not be working on my Doctorate in Education.

A true predictor for success is resilience, good soft skills, and high emotional intelligence.

This is what I propose:  use testing to gain a baseline of what the student knows.   But let’s create tests that can test more than a one-dimensional measure of knowledge and intelligence.  Let’s measure our students against their own progress not a standard benchmark created by those who have lost touch what it means to be a learner and what it feels like to be in the classroom.  

The moment I compare my son to what he should be doing to what all other 15 year olds are doing, I lose sight of how far he has come.  He is not a failure because he can’t score well on tests.  He is a champion because he has come so far.  He faces learning obstacles every day and yet can’t wait to get on that bus.  He faces communication obstacles every day and yet learns a new sign and uses his AAC to tell me his is tired or wants to go for a walk.  His successes mean nothing if all I am dong is looking at what he ‘should’ be doing as a 10th grader.  His successes mean everything when I compare to where he was, where he is now, and where he will be tomorrow.

The thought of teachers and schools being punished for someone else’s performance (students) is so absurd to me.  What other profession has this measure of accountability?  But I digress.

The school my son attends and I will be doing my clinical hours at: Aspire Center for Learning is a school specifically for students with exceptional needs.  They all have multiple and significant needs.  High Stakes testing does not have the same impact at this school on teachers or funding as it does at other traditional schools.

Our students take alternative assessments that are created by their teachers.  I ask you how valid, reliable, or standard is that?  All the students that attend this school have different home school districts.  They are from all over Erie County.  The district we live in doesn’t even count Scotty’s assessment scores.  So why have him even take them?

The charter school I worked at a few years ago prior to my online teaching gig stressed not only the teachers out about the testing but also the students.  They violated so many laws and special education regulations regarding testing protocol it made me physically ill.  Administration and the Board were so bent on good scores they instructed content teachers to meet with students they believed would not pass the High Stakes Testing (NYS Regents Exams) to keep their scores high and strongly advised them to not take the exam to not show up at all.

As a Special Education teacher and at Aspire Center for Learning, we are more concerned with progress with the Individualized Education Program Goals.  We closely monitor the progress of the goals.  The progress or lack of progress towards their goals is how I was evaluated as a teacher.  

Reading some of the literature on the impact of High-Stakes testing has me reeling.  Increase in child and young adult suicide in Korea and India!  For what purpose to have your country marked high achieving compared to other countries?  We are losing site of what is important in not only education, but in life.

Our students are living breathing creations who have much to offer.  A test score tells me nothing of the grit and resilience my son or students must have to keep smiling even after they had a night full of seizures.  Individuals like my son can teach our policy makers a thing or two on emotional intelligence, perseverance, courage, resilience, humility, and what it truly means to be successful in life.  My son and others like him teach me every day success is in one’s spirit of how we treat one another.  We are failing our students, our schools, and  our teachers to rely so heavily on these test scores.  

It would behoove us to take the information the scores give us and make decisions on how we can meet all our learners needs the best we can.  Let’s help our students become well adjusted, resilient contributors  to society.  Let’s help create students who are encouraged and empowered, not just educated.

References

(n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/brochures/testing.aspx

Concepts, L. (2014, August 18). High-Stakes Test Definition. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/

Jeunes, L. V. (n.d.). Student Suicides in South Korea. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://www.voicesofyouth.org/fr/posts/student-suicides-in-south-korea

Kamenetz, A. (2015, January 22). The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing

MacAskill, A., & Ashreena, T. (2014, December 10). In modernising India, suicide is on the rise among young. Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://in.reuters.com/article/india-suicide/in-modernising-india-suicide-is-on-the-rise-among-young-idINKBN0JO2A420141211

Relying on High-Stakes Standardized Tests to Evaluate Schools and Teachers: A Bad Idea. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00098655.2016.1156628

The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=1

Differentiating for and Anticipating Student Needs

The children who walk through our classroom door every day have individual learning styles and needs.   It is our role as an educator to know our students and make appropriate modifications to the learning environment to empower each student to learn and thrive.

Responsibility for learning rests with the students, they are accountable to do the work.  However, we are accountable for instruction and guidance in the learning environment to meet our students' individual learning styles and intelligence.  Students should be taught content in the best way they learn.

Differentiating instruction is more than how we present the information to our students.  It is also understanding how our students process this information, how they best can show us what they have learned, and what tools we use to assess if they are learning and what they have learned.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA defines the term "child with a disability" in order to make special education and related services available to children with exceptional needs in public schools.  We look at how the child's exceptional needs affect how he/she is able to learn in the school setting.  IDEA defines specific disabilities into 14 categories to guide states to determine who is eligible for free appropriate public education (FAPE) under special education law.


The 14 categories defined by IDEA:

• Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Deafness
• Developmental Delay
• Emotional Disturbance
• Hearing Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment, including Blindness

For the purpose of this blog post, we will be looking at Intellectual Disability and learn how to modify instruction to meet the needs of children identified as having an intellectual disability.  If you'd like to learn more about all the categories go to http://www.parentcenterhub.org/categories/.

What is an Intellectual Disability and how can I best modify my instruction to ensure my students are learning?

Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills. Students identified as having an intellectual disability can learn.  We need to know how they learn best and modify our instruction accordingly.

I'd like to note an important law passed in October 2010.  Rosa's Law was passed that the term mental retardation is to be replaced with the term intellectual disability.  The definition remains it is the terminology that has changed. 

I use ongoing formative assessments as a process to guide and direct my teaching.  I am able to consistently monitor students' developing knowledge, understanding, and skill related to the content I am teaching. 

Implementing formative assessments in each lesson is a quick way quick tools to guide me in how to proceed with my instruction.  They give me instant feedback on who is struggling with the content and who is ready to move on to the next level or topic.

Modifications directly alter the material/curriculum. Modifications change the target skill or what is measured. There are five types of modifications:

• EXPECTATIONS
• Withdrawal for specific skills individualize the expectations and materials; different task
• INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
• Using below grade level material: rewriting text for lower readability; alternate curriculum
• INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS
• use of a calculator; open notes/book; assistive technology for target skill; use of manipulatives
• PRESENTATION
• Reading text out loud to a student when reading comprehension is the target skill
• RESPONSE
• Modified response expectations, alternative assessments

Formative assessments help me modify what is being taught and what a student is expected to learn and demonstrate. 

I have created a unit plan for my students on the Controversy of Christopher Columbus https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mKPQVHEZoHhtxdZ9JRfRV-T7XIHg52YFFWg2jlcy0Co/edit?usp=sharing.  My students all have been identified as having an intellectual disability.  Using the strategies of modification I will make adjustments accordingly.

I have created a flowchart that outlines the process in which these differentiation strategies can be incorporated. 

You can also view the flowchart by clicking the link below.

Modifications Flowchart

References

Categories of Disability Under IDEA. (n.d.). Retrieved August 26, 2017, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/categories/#id

Combs, E., & Dahlgren, A. (2014). Time To Teach Differentiated Instruction:  Engagement and MOtivation in Every Classroom! Hayden Lake, ID: The Center For Teacher Effectiveness.

 

Student Behavior

Being a teacher we make thousands of decisions within a day.  We have seconds to decide how we manage student behavior. We are inundated with different actions throughout each day by students. 

Our decision-making process determines the classroom culture.  Will our room be one of chaos or will it be one of calmness and active learning?  

How we approach student behavior will answer this question. 

Marzano (2007) explains that we need to incorporate positive and negative consequences in regards to student behavior. We need to do more than punishing a student for their misbehavior.  Catch them being good.  Catch them being on task.  Acknowledge the students when we witness self-direction and correction. 

Marzano (2007)

continues to describe to acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules, procedures, and expectations.  There are  action steps:

Strategies that acknowledge adherence:

Steps 1-3

1. Use Simple Verbal and Nonverbal Acknowledgment
• Can be used to a class as  whole or students individually
• "I see everyone working on their graphs"
• Great job getting to circle time quietly
• Johnny, great work on that science lab.  Well Done!
2. Use Tangible Recognition When Appropriate
• Token System
• point system
• stickers for younger students
3. Involve the Home in Recognition of Positive Student Behavior
• phone calls
• emails
• notes home 
• certificates of good behavior

Strategies that acknowledge the lack of adherence:

  

Step  4.  Be With-It "Withitness"

• be aware of potential problems
• be quick to attend to those situations

According to Marzano there are four general actions that define what it means to have withitness.

1. Be Proactive
• establish norms, rules, procedures, and expectations from the get go
• reteach, review expectations as needed throughout the year
• have cues for students when you witness low-level incidences;  a look, close proximity, finger to mouth as to say "SHHHH", gently tap on a shoulder..or simply by tapping on the test paper if student is off task.  
2. Occupy the Entire Room
• physically and/or visually
• move around the room
• be visually aware of what is going on with all students
3. Noticing Potential Problems
• Using a Series of Graduated Actions
• Looking at the suspected students.
• Moving in the direction of students.
• Stopping the class and confronting the behavior.
4. Using a Series of Graduated actions

Step 5.  Use Direct-Cost Consequences

• Direct cost involves explicit and concrete consequences for inappropriate behavior.
• applied once a negative behavior has progressed beyond a point where it can be addressed by withitness. 
• Time Out
• Overcorrection
•  employed when a student has done something to damage class property
• For example: cleaning all art tables not just the one the student dumped the paint on

Step 6.  Use Group Contingency 

• holding the class as a whole responsible for the behavior of any and all members of the class   

Step 7.  Use Home Contingency 

Step 8. Have a Strategy for High-Intensity Situations

• Recognize the student is out of control
• Step back and be calm (self control)
• Listen Actively to the Student and Plan Action
• When the Student Is Calm, Repeat Simple Verbal Request

Action Step 9. Design an Overall Plan for Disciplinary Problems

• Glasser’s (1986) suggested approach 
•  List your typical reactions to student misbehavior.
•  Analyze the list and determine which of your behaviors are effective and which are not.
• Make an attempt to improve your relationship with disruptive students.
•  Meet with students and point out the specific behaviors that need to be curtailed.
• Make sure students understand and can describe the offending behavior.
•  If the offending behavior continues, help the student develop an explicit plan to curtail it. 
• Keep refining the plan as needed.
• If the offending behavior still persists, isolate the student from class until a renewed commitment is made on the part of the student.
• If the previous steps do not work, in-school suspension is the next step.
• The student is continually invited to develop and execute a plan.
•  If the student remains out of control, parents are called, and the student goes home for the day.
•  Students who do not respond to the previous steps are removed from school and referred to another agency.

A comprehensive plan such as the one described above needs to be in place from proactive procedures to possible removal of a student from the school.  There other educators that have thrown their hat into the pool of classroom management practices and strategies.  

The one I follow and have found to be effective in my classroom management is the Time to Teach method (Dahlgren, 2007).  There are five core components that are critical to building a positive classroom culture spending less time on correcting behavior and more time teaching. 

1.  Self-Control Strategies
2.  Classroom Design Techniques
3.  Teaching to Appropriate Behaviors
4.  Accurate and Timely Consequences
5.  Student Teacher Relationships

Self-Control Strategies:

• Learning calm is contagious and silence is powerful strategies
• Dealing with challenges on student time
• Personal space awareness
• Avoiding power struggles
• Diffusing challenges

Classroom Design Techniques

• Desk arrangements
• Ecological revisions
• Use of
  • color
  • scent
  • lighting
  • music

Teaching to Appropriate Behaviors

• Teaching to classroom rules
• Teaching to classroom routines
• Teaching to common or shared area expectations
• Teaching behaviors using the I do-we do-you do method

Accurate and Timely Consequences

• Refocus™ ~ eliminating 90% of classroom challenges
• Avoiding multiple warnings and repeated requests
• Using start-up and shut-down prompts

Student Teacher Relationships

• Connecting with kids
• Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR)
• Turning challenging students into allies

The component of Accurate and Timely Consequences is key to avoiding low-level incidences turning in high-level incidences.  The technique of REFOCUS eliminates warnings and repeated requests.  There is a decision-making process to warrant REFOCUS or not and the decision tree looks like this: 

Here is an example of our decision making process: If a student has a habit of tapping his pencil on the desk during the time to complete work quietly.  We have to decide if we are going to ignore, acknowledge, or correct this behavior.  We have to ask ourselves three questions in regards to this low-level incident:  Can I still teach?  Can he still learn?  Can the other still learn?  If I can answer YES to all these questions.  I ignore and continue teaching.  If anyone of these answers is a NO, I give a prompt.  If the student corrects himself I acknowledge the correction and continue teaching.  If the student does not correct himself, Steps of Refocus takes place.  

The following decision-making tree is an example of implementing both Marzano and Dahlgren's techniques in how to manage student behavior: 

References

Dahlgren, R., & Lattimer, M. (2007). Time to teach: classroom expectations. Hyden Lake, ID: The Center for Teacher Effectiveness.

Glasser, W. (1986). Control theory in the classroom. New York: Harper & Row.

Marzano, R. J. (n.d.). The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for EffectiveInstruction.

Analysis of three Teaching-Learning Situations

 Academic expectations

Project/Problem Based Learning (PBL): Roller Coaster Physics Scenario

• The teacher in this scenario absolutely held high performance expectations for her students.  PBL in general holds students to high performance expectations. All students play an important role in inquiry that clearly led to critical thinking.  Students were held accountable for their own learning and were expected to explain their thought process in the design of the roller coaster. 

Third Grade Chinese Math Scenario

• In this scenario the high performance expectation is earning a high grade/score on the assessments.  I have a problem with fully stating that the teacher held the students  to a high level of performance.  The students were repeating and chanting what was expected, however to me high performance expectations would be full engagement in the learning process not just repeating and chanting the information.  Real world application is not evident in the practice of teaching math in this traditional manner.

Whole Brain Teaching Scenario

• Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) is based on the premise that by tapping into both hemispheres of the  brain leads to and emphasizes active learning. (Funderstanding, 2011)  In this scenario the teacher did hold the students to high expectations of performance by not allowing anyone opting out from the activity.  The teacher in this scenario did quick observations and assessments if the students were understanding the content being taught by their performance during the repeat phase of the lesson.  

It is important to note that with each practice we must ask ourselves what are we defining as high performance expectation? If measured against the deepest level of understanding and critical thinking throughout the lessons, PBL, in my opinion, has the highest performance expectations for the students.   


Behavior expectations

• Behavior expectations are high in all scenarios.  Each one demonstrated the high expectation for all students to be on task.  Each scenario displayed that each practice is a great tool for classroom management.   I viewed one student in the 3rd grade Chinese math class not performing the 'chants' along with his peers.   He was not causing a distraction to anyone else, however it leads to the question was he learning anything in that moment?

 Norms and Procedures 

 Roller Coaster Physics 

 Within the PBL practice the norm is that every student participates and plays an important role in the problem solving procedure.  It is also the norm that all students are capable of a deeper learning and critical thinking.  The procedures to ensure that the students are in compliance with the norms is the release of the responsibility of learning.  The teacher presents the content information, the 'problem' the students need to create a solution for.  The teacher gives the perimeters that the students have to work within.  For example, for the roller coaster scenario, they had limited materials, and there were procedural steps each student had to take when asking for materials. Other procedures included each group member were assigned a job and were expected to carry out the tasks of that job. 

 The students also followed procedural practice of testing the design, writing observations on post its, and adjusting the design accordingly. The students in the roller coaster example work and collaborate in small group using concepts that they have learned about in lessons during class. They are expected to have a firm understanding of the concepts of motion and physics in order to contribute to the creation of a successful roller coaster design. The students have to come together to design one roller coaster per group. Each student has to create and explain why his or her individual design would work best using the terminology and principles of physics learned in class. The students are expected to be organized and detailed in their presentations so they can accurately articulate their plans to their group. Each group is given a budget for their supplies. The theory behind this is to add constraints to see how the students handle boundaries and allow them to exercise problem solving skills.

  Each student has to contribute to their group in order for the project to be successful.  The norm has been set the the students must be respectful when listening to the ideas of the other students. The students have a constructive dialogue to share ideas and challenges.  A chime method was used to share their findings.  The behavior expectation and norm is that students can have an open discussion without interruption or disrespectful feedback. 

 3rd Grade Chinese Math Class: 

In this scenario there is a lot of repetition to get students comfortable with basic math facts, concepts, and principles.  According to the article The Explainer:  What Makes Chinese Math Lessons so Good? states that math lessons are accounted for 15 hours a week.  The norm and expectation is that students will know mathematical acts and be able to interpret mathematical language.   The norm is that there is a expectation of high  test scores.

In order to accomplish high test scores procedures in place is repetition and reciting number sequences.  Call and response attention grabbers are used with the students.  The students are conditioned to use that as their cue to engage and participate in the class problem solving.  The class is teacher driven and the students are expected to pay attention focus on the lesson. 

Whole Brain Teaching: 

Whole brain teaching uses body mind and energy to drive the learning in the classroom. The teacher presents a  quick idea and concept.  The students ten mirror the teacher saying and doing exactly what has they have seen. The expectation is that the students are present and paying attention because they will miss the quick lesson if they are not focused. They reiterate the concept as a class and then they turn to their partners and do the same thing. All the while the class is moving very fast so that the focus stays present. The teacher must also stay on pace with the class. A lot of information can be covered this way. The understanding of the lesson is not the main focus. This method is used to introduce concepts and get students successfully comfortable with the idea of new concepts.

Everyone in this lesson was attentive and focused on the teacher. The forward motion of the class kept students engage and active and the behavior reflected the classroom dynamic. The short burst of intense instruction followed by student interaction doesn’t allow for students to lose focus in class. This limits the amount of disruptive behavior. It is clear from the video that the students are aware of the behavior expectations before they come into class. 

Summary  

Setting high performance expectations among my own students I will continue to implement my current classroom management and teaching style.  However, I find great value in PBL.  I plan to use that practice to increase student accountability for their learning.  I love the way PBL uses real world problems enmeshed with group projects to have students work collaboratively and reach a level of critical thinking that other teaching practices do not.  

I will not use the Chinese Math method of teaching.  I have a problem with teaching for the purpose of getting high test scores.  I can see me using the WBT method as well to get my students to use both sides of their brains.  I believe movement and differentiating lessons in order for students to learn and remember content is a fun way to learn and teach. WBT is a great way to enhance the benefits of muscle memory.  What a fun and effective way to not only teach the content but to have great classroom management. 

There is more to learning then remembering the content.  Real world application needs to be a part of my lessons.  I want to see my students engaged in all areas o their learning.  IN order to take ownership of their academic success, they need to buy into my teaching style.  

I work with high school students who have learning differences and PBL will be a great tool to empower my students  to know they are capable and become more confident in their learning.

References 

3rd grade Chinese--math class.avi. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g

(2017). Retrieved 22 July 2017, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.469.2805&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Explainer: what makes Chinese maths lessons so good?. (2017). The Conversation. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-makes-chinese-maths-lessons-so-good-24380

Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action. (2017). Teaching Channel. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

Whole Brain Teaching – The fastest growing education reform movement in the world!. (2017). Wholebrainteaching.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from http://wholebrainteaching.com/

Whole Brain Teaching | Curriculum | Funderstanding: Education, Curriculum and Learning Resources. (2017). Funderstanding.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from http://www.funderstanding.com/curriculum/whole-brain-teaching/

Whole Brain Teaching Richwood High - The Basics. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

Why PBL? | Project Based Learning | BIE. (2017). Bie.org. Retrieved 22 July 2017, from http://www.bie.org/about/why_pbl

    

Chester Bennington xo

Why we grieve the loss of an artist that we don’t know personally.  Music is a universal method of communication.  It hits us to our core.  Our souls feel at a level that otherwise we are not allowed to reach.  Those of us who feel deeply, music is our therapy.  An artist uses their emotions be it pain or joy and everything in between, it resonates within us.  It’s like our spirits are rejoicing that someone gets it, gets us.  They have felt this same pain.  Different experience, but same pain.

Music is cheaper than a psychotherapist.  We don’t need or want to be analyzed, we want to be heard and understood.  MUSIC!  It is music and the poetry of our favorite artists crying souls that reaches us on a level that nobody could ever imagine. 

Those of us who feel deeply cannot just dismiss our empathic spirits.  Creative gentle souls are suffering in this day of evil.  This day of hypocrisy.  We are mocked, ridiculed, and shunned by those who approach life on more cerebral level.  Creativity in any form is a window into our darkest areas as well as the areas we let ourselves to shine.

We carry the weight of others hurting.  If not careful, it weighs on our souls that we struggle to climb our way out of a darkness that we did not create.

 A young man of 25 has so much self-loathing, because he craves unconditional acceptance from his father.  He uses the evil of the world to set the standards for who he should be.  To be told by others to “man up” after he attempted suicide.  The pain is so palpable that to not wake up is the only solution. 

A woman whose purpose in life was to be a wife and mother to be abused and abandoned by her husband to the evil and lustfulness of the world and his own selfish desires of a perverted heart and mind.  To be mocked and shunned by those who deem her at fault for not satisfying her man.  The pain is so real that all she can do is find her reprieve at the bottom of a bottle.

A child neglected or worse abused to be allowed to grow in fear that turns to anger.  A child now an adult who doesn’t know how to let go of the shame and guilt of being unworthy of love. 

Music reaches these hurting souls.  Music has the healing power that we so desperately need.  We believe the person who wrote the poetry perfectly orchestrated with the melody understands the pain, the darkness.  There is a kinship with the creator of this music.  There is an admiration for them facing their demons even if they fail at conquering them. 

Music is our solace.  When a member of this kinship dies at their own hands because they just couldn’t face the pain another day, clashes with our hopes of defeating our own torments.  ‘

We grieve oh so much more than their life gone too soon.