CLICKER TESTS

In PE we've been using the clickers for student cognitive assessments. Just recently we've had some major problems with the software (or maybe user induced-not sure). My colleague and I were administering our quarter 3 assessments this final week of the quarter. We had each class one time before spring break. My colleague attempted to load the test in Turning Point, but it wouldn't allow him to pull up that classes participant list. The next test he administered, the computer froze half-way through the test. Just yesterday, I was on the final question of the clicker test in a different classroom, and the computer froze. All data and test responses were lost. Being that the end of the quarter is near, and we only see each class 4 times out of a ten day cycle, we're stuck with figuring out what to do for the test. For the classes that had the opportunity to complete almost the whole test, I used correct answer indicators after each question; therefore, I didn't think administering the test again would be valid because they were basically handed the answers.

My question is, how should we handle these technology glitches when they occur? Do we need to print a paper copy of the test each time or choose to not use the correct answer indicators? I like that my students receive instant feedback after they answer the question, so not telling them the correct answer isn't something I personally want to get rid of.

Consistency

As the year progressing I often find myself struggling with consistency. I especially notice it around the time that grades are due because we need to get through so much testing. I try to make it a point to by honest and tell the students that I made a mistake and I would appreciate it if they help me with my goal as a teacher to only answer raised hands. So far it is going pretty well, but I still slip up sometimes and answer a question of someone who walked up to me or didn't raise their hand. We discussed as a class why I only accept raised hands: only one of me, hard to teach if there is a crowd around me, equal amount of turns to share ideas, etc.

Do you have any good tricks to stay consistent?

Tattle Bug

It seems like this time of year the tattle bug is out in full force. With 120 some days together they start to get frustrated with the small things that bug them about their classmates. I sat my tattle kids down last week and we had a very straight forward conversation about what tattling does to the person who is being tattled on and the person who is tattling. We discussed how when you tattle on someone they often hear you tattling. Then I asked if they think the person is more or less likely to be willing to solve the problem calmly. Then we discussed how I listen to tattling at recess and after school and would be more than happy to discuss it then (Love and Logic idea). We decided as a group that we would do our best to solve them problem calmly on our own or let it go and solve it at another time. We of course discussed appropriate times to let the teacher know; when someone is in danger or getting hurt. We will see how it goes.

What is your tattling remedy?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I'm not sure what is going on with our students lately, but it seems like they're really struggling with respecting each other as well as teachers. The trend is not only in PE, but is occurring in other specials and within the classroom. Generally there is the assumption that they're all itching for spring break, but I feel like that vibe is present much earlier this year. It seems that no matter how many reminders or how many times we ask them and explain to them why respect is so important, it still seems to be an issue.

My question is, what are some strategies you use when dealing with these of issues in your classroom?

How do we find balance?

At the end of the day yesterday, I felt like I was rushing to get my students out the door.  Many hadn't finished the art project we were working on and needed to bring the pieces home in a bag.  Very few had the chance to get to center time.  I've spent much of the last 12 hours thinking about the fact that I'm always pushing my students to hurry to get things done.  I keep asking what I could have done differently yesterday, but as I think about my plans and the work that we did, I just don't see anything to get rid of.  In fact, I didn't even get to everything that I had originally planned.  A half day just never seems like enough time!

I've had this conversation with a few other teachers recently, and the interesting thing that came up was the connection between our tendency to rush kids through things and our frustration when kids rush through testing.  All day long, many of us push kids to work efficiently, walk places quickly, transition quickly, etc.  We have a lot that we want to teach them, and we want to get to as much content as possible.  But, when we ask kids to take a test, we want them to slow down.  I remember getting incredibly frustrated when a student would finish the whole MAP test in 30 minutes (or less) because I felt like she wasn't doing her best work.  How confusing for students!  Go, go, go, go, go, slow down! 

What do you do to allow students to delve deeply into topics and do their best work while still balancing the amount of content that we are expected to teach?

Social Media

At what point do you think elementary students will start facing social media challenges? 6th grade, 5th grade, 4th grade? I am not sure if Fbook and other social media will whole heartedly reach the 10 year old, but in our teaching lifetime it would not surprise me at all. In my opinion social media sites are here to stay, so we should try to embrace them as best we can. When I say embrace, I mean use the positives of these resources to reach our students. I know these ideas might scare some people that do not believe young students should be on Fbook or twitter. My idea is that we should try to use these as resources to teach our students and use it as a way to connect to our students in a way that they enjoy and is motivating. I know one example of a teacher using Fbook for his class. Although, he teaches high school AP US History, he has students creating historical profiles of US historical figures and influential people on Fbook. Students then are constantly asking questions and posting messages all year long. Believe it or not it is part of their overall grade at the end of the semester.

What is your opinion on the social media revolution and its place or lack of place in education?