The "D" Word

Greetings Apples,

I've got a confession to make...

I didn't always love school.  I was a relatively bright kid who teachers would probably say didn't work to her "full potential." I loved (and still love) the idea of school - the structure, the routine, the familiarity - but I didn't always dive into my work for the pure joy of learning. I did what was asked of me, with the minimal effort required to get the job done. I was a B student, though I was capable of more. This is not to say that I didn't have some exceptional teachers along the way who challenged me, let me be creative, made me think and work harder, and make me want to learn. (Shout out to Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Cooley and Mrs. Fleishman!) But overall, my experiences and memories of school are of the end destination, not the journey.

Looking back now, I realize that in general when I was a student, my teachers weren't differentiating to meet the need of all their students. (One of the many glorious buzz words we teachers hear and use constantly...) I wasn't being challenged or pushed to rise to my full potential. Even in college, when I got to choose my  course of study (English!), I still found myself bored in certain classes that I was required to take to earn my degree. I loved The History of Shakespeare, but had to choke down Chaucer, too, if I wanted that coveted diploma.  Much like my students today, if I couldn't find the relevance or the purpose in what I was asked to do, I wasn't engaged.

It wasn't until I entered my credential program that I became self-motivated and saw the worth in what I was doing. Yes, I was focused on the end goal of earning my teaching credential, but I also wanted to soak up every tiny lesson or bit of advice along the way to be the best teacher I could possibly be. I did all of my assigned work, and I didn't take shortcuts. I asked questions, I researched, I practiced. I wanted, and still want, to be one of the teachers I had along the way that made me feel smart and creative, and most importantly, made me want to learn. I know I am in the right profession (or at least in the right field) because I still want to learn. I want to know more and do things better each time I try them in my classroom.

I attended a GATE conference this morning (voluntarily...on a Saturday...). This is the first year that I have (what I feel is) a large cluster of GATE students in my classroom. Just like any other student in my classroom, I want to do right by them, but I am still feeling shaky on best practices. The conference this morning was just what I needed. I walked away with a ton of ideas to test out and a little bit more confidence that I can teach gifted children just as well as I can teach special needs children, English language learners or any other student that passes through my classroom.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I learned this morning that I am going to try to implement this year in my classroom. Hopefully the things I am trying will not only benefit my GATE children, but also set the bar higher for all of the students in my class.

1. Friday Math Challenge
Fridays tend to be a pretty lax day in my classroom. We are winding down from the week, and this is typically the day where I will assess, especially in Language Arts, whatever skills we were working on Monday-Thursday. This is also a big review day to reinforce whatever I think we need more of before I send the kids away for the weekend.

I typically don't introduce a new math concept on Fridays, but we may play a math game or do independent practice to reinforce skills. One of the presenters this morning talked a lot about Math Challenges that require and build problem solving skills and showed how easy it can be to differentiate.

So, my new plan is to do a weekly Math Challenge time on Friday mornings. I will have three leveled challenge problems that students can work on with a partner. Once they have solved their problem, they will need to be able to articulate what they did to get the answer.

Some recommended resources for GATE challenge activities were:

Websites

• http://www.world-english.org/puzzles.htm
• http://expandyourmind.com/logicproblems/logic_puzzles.shtml
• http://www.techinterviews.com/google-interview-questions
• http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/math-puzzles.html
• http://thomer.com/riddles/
• http://www.justriddlesandmore.com/Brainbusters/BB%20archive%201-25.html
• http://puzzles.nigelcoldwell.co.uk/
• http://www.mystfx.ca/special/mathproblems/
• http://www.syvum.com/teasers/

Books

• Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics by George Lenchner
• Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle School Students by George Lenchner
• Challenge Math for the Elementary or Middle School Student by Edward Zacarro
• Become a Problem-Solving Genius by Edward Zacarro

I'd also recommend Marilyn Burns books for great problem-based math challenges and Marcy Cook math puzzles if you haven't already looked into these resources.

2. GATE Icons

I have seen the GATE icons around several times, but have been too intimidated to learn more about them or even try them out. I learned a great deal about them today and feel confident implementing one or two of the symbols in my classroom to get my feet wet. (If you haven't seen/experienced the GATE icons, you can look here to get started.)

My class already writes in their Creative Writing Journal on Fridays, but I think I am going to switch it out to every other Friday and alternate with an ethical dilemma. As one of the presenters demonstrated today, she effortlessly implements the GATE icons for every student across the curriculum. One of the things she does is an "Ethical Envelope" where she pulls a card out with an ethical dilemma on it and asks students to respond in a journal about what they would do based on the given prompt (i.e. You see that your best friends cheats on a test in class. What would you do? Why?) I think this is a great way get kids thinking. Things aren't always black or white, there isn't always one clear-cut answer to a problem. 

The other thing this presenter did that I really like was to give groups of students a poster with one of the GATE icons on it while watching a video in class. Each group was responsible for reporting back on what they noted in regards to their specific focus while watching the video. I think it's a great way to keep kids engaged when watching a video and hold them responsible for being an active-participant in their leaning.

I heard so many other great things today, but these are going to be my focuses for now. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten from a fellow educator was when trying something new in your classroom, focus on one or two things until you're comfortable with them, and they've become routine.

Do you have GATE students in your classrooms? What are some of the things you've done to keep them challenged and engaged?

Miss H.