Taking Off the Training Wheels

The time has come.  I know it's not going to be pretty.  It certainly wasn't the last time.  There were tears.  There were bruises.  I even wondered if we'd make it.  In the end we did, and it was totally worth it.  But now, it's my 5 year old daughter's turn.  She's decided it's time to take off the training wheels.

As I get ready to run alongside her with a pocketful of band-aids, I know that it's going to get worse before it gets better.  That's just the nature of learning something new.  I also know that I need be able to explain each step of riding a bike like how to push start, balance, turn, and stop.  A key part of my success will be drawing from not only my biking experience, but every biker around me.  It's our collective experiences that will inform her best.  And finally, when it doesn't work out at first, I'll need to just listen without any immediate answer so that she can reflect, regroup, and refocus.

I can't help but think that this experience is a lot like implementing the workshop model in our classes.  When we first got on our metaphorical bike, it felt clunky and unnatural.  We were teaching maxi-lessons instead of mini-lessons, and when it was time to confer, we didn't know what to say.  That was okay, because with each attempt, we were getting better.  

In many respects, our training wheels have already come off since then.  We're now more comfortable with the routines of the workshop.  We strive for succinct mini-lessons that engage students and build upon transferable skills.  During conferring time, we draw upon teaching points, personal goals, and real time research.  

After bikers' training wheels are long gone, they push themselves towards longer rides and off-road trails by looking for ways to ride more efficiently and effectively.  It's the same with us, and recently, I've been collecting ideas from all of our classrooms and collaborations that may help when it comes to crafting mini-lessons.

Where do mini-lessons come from?


There are a number of resources we refer to when crafting mini-lessons:  

• We ground our teaching points within the Common Core Standards.
• We consider what we have taught in the past.
• We analyze student pre-assessments ("on demands").
• We consult a range of professional resources including Teachers College units (see video to find online versions on Atlas).

Unfortunately, at times we stop there, but this list is missing something big.  Don't get me wrong, as with anything we learn, it makes sense that we look to the "experts" for their ideas when we're just starting out.  The thing is we often forget about our most valuable resource, ourselves.  When we reflect on our own work as readers and writers, we open ourselves to a wealth of information.

We did exactly this in our recent department meeting where we read two articles on chocolate milk.  By doing the work ourselves, we were aware of our own process as readers.  At the same time, we collected a list of strategies authors use to support their arguments in informational texts.  When it comes time to teach this, we can design a lesson based directly on our own experience as a reader, and this makes us teach with authority.  

We're beginning to incorporate this work into our PLC meetings.  Whether it's reading through a mentor text together or sharing teacher samples as well as student samples, more and more of our training wheels are coming off.


How can we craft powerful mini-lessons efficiently?

The big issue that comes up over and over when I meet with colleagues and teams is time.  Believe me, I get it.  After all, mini-lessons are meant to be less than 15 minutes, shouldn't planning for one take the same amount of time?  Here are some tips that may help us plan more efficiently:

• Walk through the framework of a mini-lesson with these questions/tips in mind.
• Connection (Choose one of the following.):
• What work have students done previously (this unit, this year, previous years) that relates to this teaching point?
• What is a good metaphor from the real world that relates to this teaching point?
• What have I noticed lately from the students' work that relates to this teaching point?
• Teaching Point:
• Craft a clear sentence that articulates the teaching point in student language.
• Begin with "Good readers..." or "Good writers..."  
• Active Engagement:
• Use a text that students are familiar with to show this teaching point in action.
• Try to narrow down your process to three easy steps.
• Plan where students will have a chance to practice the skill in the same text.
• Link/Share: (No need to do this ahead of time, just keep these in mind.)
• Have partners go share what they have worked on and how they have improved in reading and writing today.
• Highlight one student example that you came across during the conferring time.
• Rephrase the teaching point.
• Have students complete an exit sticky note with a major take away from the day's lesson.

• Set a timer when planning a lesson.
• Sometimes planning gets unwieldy.  Set a timer for 15 minutes to write a mini-lesson and see if you can stick to it. 

• Use a template.
• Fill out a mini-lesson template as you plan.  This helps reinforce the parts of a mini-lesson while ensuring consistency with others as  you divide and conquer.

• Divide and conquer.
• Instead of dividing up entire units, work on the same unit by doing the first mini-lesson together then dividing up subsequent mini-lessons.  Do this work during a PLC time instead of assigning it for later on. Together, you will have collective ownership over a unit while using each other as valuable resources.

• Use Google Docs.
• House mini-lessons in shared Google Docs folders.  One person could be designated to upload the work into Atlas at the end of a unit.

One final thing I keep in mind as I help my daughter put on her helmet is that trying out something new takes courage lots of practice.  When it gets tough because it inevitably will, we both need to reflect, regroup and refocus.  Once we do, I know she'll get better and better until one day she'll be riding with her own pack.  

It's the same with us.  And as we each pedal away fine-tuning our own craft, we'll continue to improve, but when we hit a pot-hole, let's reflect, regroup and refocus.

Photos from:

• Google Drive Image Search
• http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3221463

The Workshop 2.0

Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Shazam, Ocarina, Fruit Ninja.  Let’s face it, when we first heard these terms let alone the word "app," we didn’t quite know what to make of them.  Once we figured them out and how they work though, there was no stopping us.  Since then there have been well over 600,000 apps created and 10 billion downloads (see related video by Appiction).  

Those of you who download and use apps know that it's important to update your apps when possible.  After all, software developers work hard to get the kinks out and add nuanced features that increase the app's overall productivity.

Well, it's the same for teaching.  Our app is the classroom where we are the software developers who continually refine and tweak our craft all in the name of improving student learning.  While we've made tremendous progress in articulating and implementing a clear and coherent RLA curriculum through the Reading and Writing Workshop, it's time for an update.

Over the past few years, through our collective Professional Development and classroom experiences, we have come to define the workshop as the time where we explicitly teach a literacy skill through a range of strategies by modeling the thinking of a real reader or writer in real time and providing opportunities for students to try it out.  We have worked hard to structure our focused mini-lessons with meaningful connections, clear teaching points, time for student engagement, and closing links.  

With this framework firmly under our proverbial teaching belts, we can raise the level of our instruction with three additional key factors in mind:  transference, engagement, and the level of instruction.

Transference

Turning and talking to reflect on prior learning

Sometimes I forget that our students have been doing this for a while.  In fact, if they have been at SAS, they know all about the workshop before they even step into my classroom.  With the nature of new units and new mini-lessons though, I often forget to capitalize on their prior learning.

That's why when I begin my mini-lessons now with the connection and teaching point, I often ask my students, "What have you learned last week, during the last unit, or even last year that might help you with this next step?"  By listening in to their talk, I can quickly key into the connections they are making and consider any adjustments to my teaching points.

During the mini-lesson we can explicitly point out some transferable skills to our students as well.  When teaching the importance of word choice in poetry for example, we can recall a mini-lesson on word choice that we taught in our Personal Narrative unit.  

At the same time, we can craft an entire mini-lesson based on transference.  For example, if we just finish a unit on Personal Essay or Persuasive Writing, why not project a sample Literary Essay and ask, "What moves does a literary essay writer make that we just made in our previous work?"  In no time at all, students will generate the characteristics of this "new" genre.  With this example and transference in mind, we may even reconsider our scope and sequences of units across the year.

Becky G. allowing time for reflection and partner share
before handing in a final assignment

Engagement

We all know that engagement is a key factor in learning.  And while there is a specific time in a mini-lesson dedicated for students to try out some new moves, engagement should happen throughout the entire mini-lesson.

As in the example above, students are more engaged when they turn and talk to their partner about what they already know about a topic.  Here are some other ideas to keep students focused and engaged throughout the mini-lesson:

• Students give thumbs up or thumbs down.
• Students vote with five fingers.
• Students write down three tips on a sticky note.
• Teacher gives direct and pointed instruction/feedback:  
• "Do it now!" 
• "Eyes on me."
• "I see _____ has written four lines already."
• Teacher/Students point to poster.
• Students repeat a gesture.
• Students repeat a phrase/chant like "Snap, crackle, pop!"

Another way to raise the level of engagement is to tap into the social and intellectual power of partnerships.  When students talk with their partners, there is 100% participation every time. An added bonus is that we can use that time to listen in and hear what is actually sinking in.

A final consideration in terms of engagement has to do with pacing.  As a recovering maxi-lesson teacher, I often keep the timer on my phone running so I can see how long my lessons are going.  I try to keep track of how long my teaching takes and remind myself that I want them to spend their time doing the work not just listening to someone else talking about it or doing it himself.

Level of Instruction

The whole point of a mini-lesson is to move readers and writers forward.  Simply put, students need to become better because of it.  The challenge is that we teach to a range of abilities in any given class. 

To ensure that every student is challenged, we can think of the skills and strategies we teach on a continuum (good tools for this are the Common Core Standards and Teacher's College Continuums for Narrative Writing and Opinion/Argument Writing).  When planning, we need to determine what each skill looks like at the lower and higher levels.  We need to draw from mentor texts that show this in action, and we can pull them out and teach to them directly either in small groups or one-on-one.

As teachers of writing, we should also write through the different levels of a genre.  Recently, I rewrote my personal essay at the four different levels (Below, Approaching, Meets and Exemplary) to determine exactly what each level might look like.  An added benefit was that I was able to pull out a certain level and have students articulate what they need to reach the next level.

The interesting thing about transference, engagement, and level of instruction is that they go hand-in-hand.  In other words, students are more engaged when they are appropriately challenged, and when they are, they are more likely to transfer new skills over time.  

It's the same for us teachers as well.  Through our PLC work, we stay engaged by transferring teaching strategies that work, and in turn, we continually improve the level of instruction.  In fact, when I think about the way I used to teach, I'm sure glad that I've had continual updates along the way.  I know it won't be the last one, but for now, I feel reassured that I'm doing my best to get the kinks out and teach more productively.

Sources: 

• www.appiction.com
• www.apple.com
• "Writing Curriculum and the Common Core," Mary Ehrenworth.  Oct. 2012.  New York.