FlipCon 2013...Wow!

Today was the final day of FlipCon 2013 (it sounds so weird to say that about the second day of a 2 day conference).  I have so much running through my brain, in addition to everything that was there before.  I was not able to attend in person, but I attended virtually with Stacy Lovdahl (@braveneutrino) as the wonderful host and some of the teachers she works with.

First of all, a huge thanks to Stacy and her school for providing the locale, snacks, lunches, and hospitality.  It was enjoyable to attend the conference with others, even being on our own devices with headphones.  We still got to chat and get to know each other a bit.

Overall I think the conference was very beneficial.  I got a lot of information and strategies to mull over for the next couple weeks.  There were some sessions I really enjoyed, others were kinda meh.  But in the end, I'm glad I went and it was a valuable experience.  I look forward to going in person next year and getting the full range of session options to choose from.

There was so much information, my brain is definitely on overload.  Looking back through my notes, the quality and quantity drastically decreased as time went on.  I remember thinking yesterday that I wish the conference were longer so I could attend more sessions, but thinking about how I feel right now, I'm glad it's not.

I almost wish they blended the unconference model with the traditional presentations.  Maybe have a session each day dedicated solely to discussion instead of presentation.  It wouldn't have to be about any particular topic, just give people a chance to verbally process what they've heard/learned so far.   But perhaps that is happening on site.

Here is a rundown of the sessions I attended and the highlights (those are not the official titles, just what I named them):
Moodle & the Mastery Class by Chris Luker (@chemdude4)
This session did not discuss Moodle as much as I had hoped.  However it did have a lot of good information about the mastery class.  I think what I liked about it so much was that he went into a lot of specifics of what he did in the class in terms of grading, structure, etc.  That is what I needed to see.  His philosophy was "It takes as long as it takes."  He would rather see them learn some chemistry really well.  I agree, I just don't know how that would work in a traditional classroom/school.  He had a lot of self-professed freedom, I'm not sure why.  I liked his structure of Assignments, Mastery Checks, Quizzes, and Tests.  He had really thought a lot about making the mastery system work in a traditional setting of grades.

Rigor in Advanced Flip by Dena Leggett (@denakleggett)
She also included a lot of specifics about how she structured her class.  Her philosophy was for students to "Embrace your learning."  A lot of the things she talked about worked towards that, such as self-assessing learning and reflecting on test corrections.  I think as a community we need to figure out what we actually mean by "rigor".  I'm not sure what she defined it as, but it seemed that a lot of her rigor came from the fact that it was an AP class (can't remember if math or science now) and so it was very time intensive and a lot of work.

Collaborative Flip by Andrew Thomasson & Cheryl Morris (@thomasson_engl & @guster4lovers)
This was a great session from Andrew & Cheryl about their experiences flipping together.  They talked a lot about how they developed the partnership and how they created things together.  Their philosophy #bettertogether.  As Stacy pointed out, this can be your classroom theme too.  #bettertogether doesn't only have to refer to teacher relationships, it can also apply to student-teacher relationships as well.

(You can see how my notes are getting shorter and shorter)

Peer Instruction Model by Troy Faulkner & Rob Warneke (I missed the beginning so did not see if they had Twitter)
This was a really informative session about a strategy to use in class to increase student discussion and problem solving together.  I definitely want to incorporate this into class.  The basic concept was you provide questions to the students that are challenging and possibly match with misconceptions they already have.  They have to solve these questions/problems independently and then discuss with a partner/group and either keep their answer the same or change their answer.  A great critical thinking tool and a way for the kids to collaborate.  Don't they always say you learn best when you have to teach/explain to someone else?

Flipped PBL (again missed the beginning so I did not catch their names)
This had a ton of ideas for PBL projects.  You could tell they were really into providing meaningful, authentic learning for their kids.  A little disappointing because I was looking more for logistics about how they incorporated PBL in their room (grading, timing, etc), but great ideas none the less.

Keynote @ lunch by Ramsey Musallam
Two words...mind blown.  I think it was Brian Bennett who tweeted that he was watching people's faces as they were listening and just the gasps and looks they had reflected everything.  The biggest takeaway from his talk was the whole concept of not treating Bloom's as a road map or instructional order.  We need to consciously decide when to provide direct instruction.  Give students an engaging scenario, let them struggle and then give them the information they need before bringing it around full circle back to those engaging, authentic projects.  I am definitely going back to re-watch this.

Frankly the last two sessions were almost a blur and I have practically nothing written down.  My goal is to go back, review, and spend more time processing so I can figure out how I am going to apply all of this.

Overall, it was a thought provoking experience and I'm so glad I was able to attend.  I really look forward to next year.

How can I be this stuck??

I finally have my teaching assignment.  I will be teaching 7th & 8th grade science (track 3 for you year round folks).  I am thrilled.  Working with the older kids will be a big change, but one that I am interested in.

Yet, I find myself fast approaching a complete state of terror with every passing hour.  The amount and scope of things I have to do are so overwhelming that I am bouncing from one task to another, never spending more than 10 minutes on anything (this blog entry being no exception).  I don't know what I need to do.  Analysis paralysis indeed.

If I were going to be teaching like everyone else, this would be no big deal.  I'd read the scripted lessons, review the materials given to me by my new colleagues, and implement them using my own style.  But I don't want to be teaching like everyone else.  I want to do something more.  I want to be engaging, I want to be authentic, I want to be relevant.  I want my classroom to be as successful as the classrooms from every blog/tweet/article I read seem to be. (Seriously people, do your students just show up in your room being amazing??)

I think the hard part is I feel more alone than ever.  I need to talk to people to hash out my ideas, get feedback, process through things.  I used to do this with the people I work with, my team.  But I don't have a team right now.  I don't know the people I'm going to be working with.  No guarantees they're even interested in implementing the same things I am anyways.  Twitter is wonderful and all for finding like-minded people, but doesn't lend itself to in depth conversations.

If I were staying at my old school, things wouldn't nearly be so bad.  I already know the curriculum.  But this year I have a new principal to impress (one who I've already been told takes test data seriously and will compare you to others).  What if I try these new methods, fail, and lose his trust?  Not to mention, apparently he's already been talking me up to the staff.  So I have their expectations to live up to as well.

Do I throw caution to the wind and change everything at once?  New school.  New grade.  New curriculum.  New methods.  Or do I go back to my old ways for this year while I learn the curriculum and how teaching in middle school actually works?  The latter is certainly more appealing because it's the easier path.  Is it the right path?

Deep down, I know the answer is no.  Despite it being hard, I need to suck it up and do the right thing.  In the long run, despite any failures, I think I will be happier with myself if I do what is true to my beliefs.

Now to just figure out how...

Mission, Vision, and Values...oh my!

I've served on the SIP (school improvement plan) committee for two different schools.  They were two very different experiences but that is a whole separate issue (it amazes me how things that should be standard, or even at the very least similar, within an organization, can be so very different).  The thing that I struggled with the most though was writing the mission, vision, and values.  It always seemed so repetitive and I never had a good grasp of what those things were supposed to be.

As I plan for the upcoming school year however I've been thinking a lot about the type of classroom I want to create.  There are already so many things that I want to do in terms of instructional methods that I believe will rely on a certain classroom culture being created.  Towards that end I've decided to write vision, mission, and values statements for my classroom.

I've jotted down a few rough notes of what I might want to include.

Vision (it makes more sense to me to start with this):
A collaborative classroom environment where authentic, relevant, and engaging learning occurs that focuses on 21st century skills needed to be ____ (college and career ready?) (globally competitive?-seems a little arrogant of myself)

Mission:
Help students think critically and analytically (are those the same thing?), develop real world problem solving skills through scientific inquiry, and develop an appreciation for the sciences through engaging content material.

Values:
Teaching needs to fundamentally change in order to reach every child.  (I'm not in love with how this is phrased.)

Authentic (real life?) activities and choice create the most student engagement and motivation.

Learning happens when students feel safe to take risks and work together to solve problems. 

Science is awesome!  (As silly as this may be, I think it's an important value.  If I don't have passion for my subject, how can the kids?)

So there it is.  I'd love any feedback!  PLN's rock!

Intro to my world

I don't have a ton of experience blogging, but I definitely have a lot to say!  My main goal for this blog is to share my experiences teaching middle school science and expand my personal learning network.  I hope at some point that I can use this blog as a forum for discussion on various topics or get feedback on things that I am thinking about.   It seems the hardest part about trying to innovate is finding people to collaborate with, especially if those people are not at your school.

Currently I am a 5th grade teacher.  I have been teaching 5th grade for 7 years.  Next year I am moving up and will be teaching middle school science.  I am so excited!  I am so ready for a change.  I have learned and accomplished a lot in 5th grade, but I feel like I have plateaued in my ability.  I am so energized for next year in ways I haven't been in a long time.  I'm excited about planning new things and learning new curriculum and having a new challenge!

One of the things I am most excited about is completely changing the way I will be teaching.  This year I have experimented with flipping my math class.  For a first time try, I think it went really well!  There are definitely some elements that I want to tweak and improve, but more than that I want to know that I am doing everything I can to engage my kids and prepare them for the future.  Up until very recently I had no idea how many light years behind I was in even being aware of the current ideas and teaching methods.  I really do owe a lot to the EdCampNC "unconference".  I met some truly amazing people who opened a door for me and showed me a whole new world. *cue music*

Like I said before, I'm energized and excited in ways I haven't been in a long time.  This is the right thing for me at definitely the right time.