SAMUEL HEARNE/TDSB - OISE/UT KIDBLOG PARTNERSHIP

1. SAMUEL HEARNE/TDSB - OISE/UT KIDBLOG PARTNERSHIP Developing metacognitive habits of mind and communities of formative assessment in mathematics through KIDBLOG.ORG Mirela Ciobanu/TDSB OISE/UT, January 31/13

2. Introductions - Mirela Ciobanu, Gr. 6 teacher (TLLP project) - Jim Lang, Gr. 7 teacher - Midtown Option - How many people are in a placement that involves the teaching of mathematics? - How many people are in a grade 6 placement - How many have mathematics as their teachable?

3. WHAT IS KIDBLOG?

4. Kidblog is... - an opportunity to safely use social media in the math classroom - an opportunity to create online math journals - an opportunity to strengthen the community you create in the classroom - an opportunity to consolidate knowledge - an opportunity to have students write about math - an opportunity to promote self-regulation - an opportunity to collect student work samples, track their progress and have more meaningful conversations with parents -

5. MY JOURNEY WITH KIDBLOG • Spring 2010 - Immediatebenefits: improved communication in mathematics, motivation, an increased sense of community • Last year: my new requirements for students’ blogs: - Self-regulation and goal- setting - Strengthening the mathematics community - Parents began taking notice, positive feedback • This year: metacognition is infused in all aspects of of my math program( including kidblog)

6. My class' blog: Spring 2012 www.kidblog.org/MsCiobanus6dclass/

7. Spring 2012- the collaboration idea The source : NCTM’s ( vol. 17,No. 8, April 2012), Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School,“Putting Mathematical Discourse in Writing” by Sararose D. Lynch and Johnna J. Bolyard A problem-solving pen pal project between preservice teachers and sixth graders Benefits noted: communication, reflection, metacognition

8. OUR IDEA: Why not use Kidblog as a medium for collaboration between OISE preservice teachers and sixth graders at Samuel Hearne Middle School? The focus? Descriptive feedback and metacognition

9. Mutual benefits For Pre-service teachers For students • Strong focus on formative assessment • Job embedded practice providing descriptive feedback • Posing good questions that are meant to further understanding through reflection • Focus on content for teaching • Collaboration through assessment practices with TDSB teachers and OISE peers • Creating a culture of “learning together” • More opportunity for reflection • Developing metacognitive skills ( through problem solving and communication) • The feeling of belonging to a community linked to increased motivation to succeed • Moving from describing through analyzing, from procedure to concept

10. For classroom teachers - an opportunity to collaborate professionally ( focused discussions) - an opportunity to see students' work through different perspectives - an opportunity to expand the professional learning community beyond school walls

11. Efaz and Atiqul's return to the blog

12. Fall 2012: Belonging to a community " Well, I’m not too sure if anyone comes back here any more, but we were bored, so we just wanted to ask a question and see if anyone wants to solve it. So, in this problem, there are 200 students and 200 lockers. ( heard of this problem before?) The first student walks across the hallway and opens EVERY locker. The second student walks across the hallway and opens every SECOND locker. The third student walks across the hallway and opens every THIRD locker. This continues all the way to the 200′th student opening just the last locker. Which of the lockers are open? Is there any pattern to the lockers that are open? *Remember to show your work!* BONUS: If you find all of the lockers that are open, draw a graph of the first 8 numbers that have their lockers open. Explain how this is related to “Exponential Growth (Remember we were just very bored.) Efaz and Atiqul-

13. The responses http://kidblog.org/MsCiobanus6dclass/ What do you think that this means for teachers? ( please turn to a partner and share your thoughts about this)

14. Research findings Belonging and "effective learning" - Learning blossoms if done in a community that promotes the feelings of belonging - Uri Treisman( UC- Berkley), 1970 - Metacognition develops when math is done collaboratively - Learning is social and the feeling of belonging to a community affects performance ( Annie Murphy Paul, New York Times, Sept 2012)

15. "The Brilliant Report" by Annie Murphy Paul " The level of comfort we feel in another person's presence can powerfully influence how intelligent we actually are, at least in that moment." "A solid sense that we are among our peers, that we're where we ought to be, can elevate our aspirations and buoy us in the face of setbacks. " ( The Importance of Belonging, Jan. 2013) http://anniemurphypaul.com/blog/

16. The Pieces in the Background - Continuous work in the classroom to cultivate a growth mindset. - New content built through students' solutions - Lots of tools, support sessions based on publicly identified targets and strengths - Lots of work done on continuous monitoring and control of learning ( see the Learning Log) - Struggling students must observe the continuous effort and motivation to succeed displayed by their peers whom they believed are "born intelligent" and with a higher IQ.

18. The GROWTH mindset Carol Dweck: Stanford University Psychologist who dedicated the last decades to studying the concept of "growth mindset" The Effect of Praise on Mindset Growth Mindset: the belief that dedication and hard work not only talent bring success Sources: http://mindsetonline.com/ http://www.mindsetworks.com/default.aspx

19. Dr. Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset theory Stanford University A short interview in which she explains the two types of mindsets

20. What do you think is the Kidblog - "Mindset" Theory connection? Your input:

21. Whose learning is it, anyways? "The most important instructional decisions are made not by the adults working in the system but by the students themselves." ~Stiggings et al., (2005)

22. Simple way of introducing students to the "growth mindset"

23. Our own teacher "growth mindset" • Our learning is possible because of the students. • We learn from them about the way they learn. • Why is it important for us to model persistence/a growth mindset? • Research: it especially affects girls and struggling students in general

24. ROLES: who does what? Mirela and Jim: site administrators, provide instruction, discuss success criteria in class, create and pose assessment tasks, provide descriptive feedback, track students' progress, collaborate with TC's on Pepper Samuel Hearne students: answer the questions (post entries) and provide feedback to at least two other peers, beginning with the posts that received the least amount of comments, act on feedback, engage in conversations to clarify ideas, reply to questions

25. Project roles: Who does what? Preservice teachers: provide descriptive feedback to the students partnered with you, take observation notes on how students solve problems, communicate their ideas, make connections, and interact on an online community. Discussions between teachers: Pepper Caroline Rosenbloom: project coordinator, facilitates discussion amongst teachers and teacher candidates on Pepper

26. The 3 classes/blog links 7C - Jim Lang's class blogwww.kidblog.org/MrLangs7cclass/ 6D - Mirela ( my homeroom/core class) www.kidblog.org/MrsCiobanus6dclass/ 6B- Mirela ( my rotary math class) www.kidblog.org/MsCiobanus6bclass/ Note: if partnered with grade 6 students you must sign in the two class blogs

27. What to consider Sources for your observation: • student entries, • students feedback/comments to their peers, • students' use of feedback from their peers, • initiative to pose questions, • replying to questions, • revisiting comments they made, etc. • posing questions • trying alternative solutions • connecting to/building on peers' ideas/solutions

28. DESCRIPTIVE FEEDBACK Descriptive feedback is the most powerful tool for improving student learning. Black, Harrison, Lee & Wiliam (2003)

29. How it affects learning 1. Type ( how it is worded) 2. Delivery ( where and who gives it) 3. Timing of the feedback (timely)

30. Which ones are GOOD examples of descriptive feedback? 1. Well done! 2. You solved the problem well and built on what you learned in class. 3. I like the picture you used to represent your thinking. Level 3- 4. You could put more effort into your work. 5. I am proud of you.

31. More examples 6. The two attributes you chose to compare the two quadrilaterals are appropriate. There is one more that has the two attributes. Can you check again? 7. I could not have done a better job myself. 8. You are so smart.

32. Let’s do math Nov. 2/12 : The term number of a pattern is 5 and the term is 15. • What can you say about the pattern? • What is the pattern? • Is this the only pattern? How do you know? Note: When you complete your work, don’t just answer the questions above but explain your thinking clearly. Ensure that you used correct math terminology. Ask yourself, “If I were to read this as someone else’s answer, would I be able to follow their thinking easily? Looking forward to your entries and dialogue, • Ms. Ciobanu

33. It starts with the task What are some of the criteria for success as evident from the task?

34. Content/Structure " Descriptive feedback helps students to learn by providing information about their current achievement (Where am I now?) with respect to a goal (Where am I going?) and identifying appropriate next steps (How can I close the gap?) (Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis & Chappuis, 2004, Sadler, 1989). (ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING: VIDEO SERIES Descriptive Feedback Viewer’s Guide)

35. Looking at students' entries Clear evidence and reading between the lines How is the entry structured? What mathematical thinking is obvious? What language is used to explain their thinking? Does the student seem to use the terminology with confidence? Does the student know they have arrived at a reasonable solution? Is this justified?

36. Metacognition connection Does the student know what they know to solve or understand the problem? Does the students remember having solved a similar question/problem? Does the students revise their plan? Doe the students evaluate how reasonable the solution is? Note: If the above are not evident, can we ask probing questions to trigger them?

37. YOUR TURN: Strengths and...next steps • What are the strengths of this student as evident in his/her work? • What suggestions can you make? • What suggestions were already made by peers that you could reinforce or clarify? • What specific suggestion (not procedure) can you make to help the student move their thinking forward? Note:a "next step" should be about math not writing skills, connected to the learning goals and success criteria.

38. What descriptive feedback would you give this student? Please read what the student wrote and focus on: • What is the current level of understanding of the concepts/skills assessed through the problem? • Evidence for #1 • What would be the nearest 1-2 next steps you can suggest directly or indirectly ( hints, questions) that need immediate attention? • Any confusing parts - ask for clarification without pointing out that they are wrong.

39. Student A ( please insert your feedback on this slide)

40. Student B (please insert your feedback on this slide)

41. Student C (please insert your feedback on this slide)

42. Student D (please insert your feedback on this slide)

43. Student E (please insert your feedback on this slide)

44. Student F ( please insert your feedback on this slide)

45. Student G (please insert your feedback on this slide)

46. In conclusion... 1. Creating a community strengthens a student's sense of belonging. 2. Feeling that you belong to a learning community triggers improvement and the belief that you can succeed 3. The type of communication/discourse that takes place within the community affects motivation and a growth mindset 4. A growth mindset increases motivation, which is a stronger prediction of success, not IQ or talent.

47. Questions about our project

48. BUILDING CAPACITY Samuel Hearne : two other grade 7 teachers, other than Jim, have started using kidblog as some students (who were in my class last year) asked for it. Jim Lang will collaborate with us and joined this project. Midtown Option: After the project: - apply it in your practicum - use it in the future with your students - share it with other colleagues

49. Thank you. Please keep in touch on Pepper. You can also check and comment my blog. I would love feedback or/and questions. http://mirelaciobanu.edublogs.org/ See you on "Kidblog"! Mirela

50. http://mirelaciobanu.edublogs.org/ I