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Lessons Learned

Seizing the opportunity to make learning real...

5/17/2020

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Children are likely to become enthusiastic, lifelong learners as a result of being provided with an engaging curriculum; a safe, caring community in which to discover and create; and a significant degree of choice about what ​(and how and why) they are learning. ​ ~ Alfie Kohn
Where there are challenging times, there are also opportunities.  When the NYS Education Department cancelled the Regents exams, I knew there was an opportunity to address the constraints that many teachers feel around preparing students for a predictable, yet anxiety provoking summative assessment that occurs at the end of every June.  I challenged them to teach how they always wanted to and to engage students by making learning real, not just relevant... to have fun! Empower students by providing voice and choice... and shift from traditonal to authentic assessments.
​After Week 9... I sent the faculty the following request:
I am trying to put together a blog post about what is working during this period of remote learning. Being a part of our weekly Webex sessions has been, among other things, inspiring when I hear about the ways in which you are connecting with students and engaging them in different learning opportunities... 
Please consider sharing a conversation, anecdote, assignment, and / or student product that you have seen / experienced over these last 8 weeks (14 at the time of this post). 
I am looking for things that exemplify the Four Cs (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication), student choice, voice, or anything that stood out to you. ​
​
Below are just several examples of student work, explanations from our amazing teachers, and anecdotes about learning from our incredible students. What you will see is that learning can be deeper, more exciting, and real when we empower our  students. Our challenge is to remember what is working and carry that momentum into the next school year. 

The examples below are a representation of amazing things going on in our "virtual" classrooms and in the homes of our students. Intrinsic motivation increases, when students own their own learning... Our clubs are meeting as well as, as is our student organization and class officers. School buildings may be closed, but we continue to seize the opportunity to making learning real!
Social Studies 
Math
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Click the picture for a link to the project
I've had some success with using Web-Ex debates/discussions to replace a Canvas assignment.  I gave my global students a selection of materials to explore in order to provide some choice. Videos, documents, images, etc.
Students who joined our Web-Ex and engaged in a debate about our decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan received credit for this assignment.
Students who didn't feel comfortable debating, were able to post their opinion on a discussion board.
It was a fun way to elicit more participation during the Web-Ex in a low stakes way and provide some choice for students.
​- Mr. Fretz (@JFretzMineolaHS)
Another example is a Change the World Project. The big questions are listed below and students have a wide array of choice regarding how they demonstrate their understanding -  video, art, music or writing. 
  1. How do you see the world right now? Is our current situation reminiscent of any other time in history?
  2. How do you WANT to see the world. What do you want the future to look like?
  3. How can we get there? How can we get from your answer in question 1 to your answer in question 2? What does everyone have to do? Leaders, families, children, etc.
The project description and choices are linked below. 
-Ms. McDonnell (@TMMcD09)
change_the_world_project.pdf
File Size: 60 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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The Geometry team created a fun circles project where the students got to illustrate any picture they wanted that involved circles. They wrote the equations of their circles as an alternate assessment. I'm attaching some student work from that project. The beautiful thing about Geometry is how visual it is and the assignment tapped into the visual potential of circles by giving students an art project instead of a math test. Students were tasked with creating a graphic representation of anything they chose, using circles as their one compositional requirement. Students were assessed by their understanding of equations of circles on the coordinate graph and they were bound only by their own imagination and creativity! 

- Ms. Sloane (@betterbesloane)
- Ms. Grassie (@Grassiemath)
- Ms. Gutierrez (@Gutierrez_MHS)
- Mr. Haber (@BHaber36)

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If you look at history,
innovation doesn't come just
from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.

-Steven Johnson
Fine and Performing Arts
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The assignment above was submitted on Canvas by Joshua B. and relates to growth mindset in a musical setting.
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My concert band students have been having great success using Canvas and SmartMusic. I have also been using a variety of sources on the internet such as Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy Masterclass videos to engage my jazz ensemble students. I have received so many well-written and thoughtful assignment submissions from my students. I've been able to differentiate my instruction and communicate well with them via Webex on a group and individual basis. Also, I'm excited to be teaching a webex music class with our RISE students next Thursday at 10. I'm glad we are able to communicate and keep them engaged during this time.  
-Mr. Ratner
The video above is a  recording of one of Alvin T.'s SmartMusic assignments. SmartMusic is a web-based suite of music education tools that support efficient practice, helping musicians to develop and grow.
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Students have been communicating regularly with Mr. Ratner via e-mail and sharing their experiences in concert band with him. Please also see attached letter written by Sam Levitan. It speaks not only to the connection to music, but also the relationship with the teacher.
Theater & Dance 
One of the things that I worried about over the past couple of months doing remote learning was how to still be able to take "performance" classes and still keep them exciting. I think the fact that my students are able to be so vulnerable, and that they trust each other, is what allowed our classes to still do similar things on video as opposed to in school. 
I really wanted them to be comfortable in front of the camera and the trust we built as a class really helped. The students are presenting, acting scenes, doing improv activities, working out, and dancing together! 
One thing I really wanted to give them was choice. By giving them choices for projects, such as choreographing a dance number, writing a proposal to put on a show, set/costume and lighting design, creating theatre lesson plans (for our future teachers) and writing scripts/monologues, this allowed them to choose what they wanted to focus on and they were excited to create and share with us! 
It makes me so happy and excited to see their faces and know that their passion for theatre and dance can still be exciting- even through a screen. Can't wait to be back together again!
-Ms. Oliveri (@AislinnOliveri)
Science
Chemistry
For me, one key component of remote learning is flexibility. We have to understand that some of our students have had extra responsibilities added to their plates, and students do not all have the same time available to work on assignments as one another. For example, one of my students has reached out to me to apologize for not completing all of her assignments. Her parents are still working, as is her older sister, so she has become full time child care for her toddler niece. With a toddler of my own, I understand how difficult it can be to get things done with a small child clinging to you at all times. After all, they can only nap for a few hours a day! She wanted to make sure I knew she wasn’t slacking off and told me she stays up all night sometimes just to try and get all of her assignments done.  I appreciated her honesty and willingness to talk to me about her quarantine experience.  While I cannot offer her any babysitting relief, what I can offer her is flexibility.  Allowing her extra time to complete her assignments and reassuring her that I understood her situation and that I knew she was doing the best she could.  I told her that health is more important than high school chemistry and to take her time with the assignments so she could get some sleep. She was extremely appreciative of my willingness to listen to her and simply offer some understanding and flexibility. While creating unique and enriching virtual assignments is of course important, sometimes our most meaningful successes are just being there for our students and showing them that we care about them.
- Mrs. Adamski (@mrsadamski1)

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Mr. Wilkens' students created a comic demonstrating their knowledge of the Rock Cycle including their understanding of academic vocabulary by illustrating it.
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Amplifying student voice in Ms. Kelly's class using Pear Deck and Webex.
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It's all about relationships. The last class for these seniors in Ms. Kennedy's AP Biology class!
Creativity thrives on a consistent diet of challenges and opportunities, which are often one and the same. ~ Lee Clow
Science Research
The Webex (face-to-face) meetings with students have been awesome.  The attendance has been great. I am constantly inspired by the students.  They are present and willing to share. Of course some are having difficulties but even those students 'show up' for the class meetings.
Here are few of my and my students favorite assignments. 
​Please check out the link below.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/scientists-have-turned-structure-coronavirus-music (Links to an external site.)
Scientist set the structure of Coronavirus protein to music. Which protein did they use?
What aspect of the structure did they use to set to music? Give some details.
But why would you set a virus to music?
I am looking forward to hear your impressions of music in our next class meeting.  Please answer the above three questions either as text or upload your answers in a pdf file.  
Many students were surprised at how calming the music was.  The students were surprised to see that by combining totally different fields (music and science) that scientist could learn about the structure of this protein.
SCIENCE IS EVERYWHERE
Please follow the directions for this assignment in the link below.
SCIENCE IS EVERYWHERE.pdf
Assignment: Upload your final product in Canvas. 
I hope everyone is thinking about the challenge competition.  I know the original deadline was May 31st but, I hope everyone is working on their ideas for submission. You can submit at any  time before the deadline. Notice new deadline below! (June 15)
Assignment:   Once you have completed your challenge competition submission, upload your entry here.  Remember you can submit anytime before the competition deadline.  I cannot wait to see how creative you are!!
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The Crown Education Challenge theme is:
Hope during a pandemic. 
There are three tracks; Art, STEM, and Writing. Your choice! Do not feel obligated to choose STEM.
 The rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting millions of lives worldwide. Schools are closing, cities are locking down, and the economy is slowing. During this difficult time, we must remain hopeful. The Crown Education Challenge aims to encourage students to take a stake in this global challenge by responding to the theme of “hope during a pandemic.” The challenge is open for entries until June 15, 2020 at 11:59 PM PST. Please read the challenge rules (Links to an external site.) for more information. If you have any questions, visit the FAQ (Links to an external site.) page or contact us at [email protected]. Assignments 2 and 3 are included because when I introduced these assignments, the students were very excited.  Immediately sharing ideas and thinking about working in groups for at-home science (see examples above).
For hope during a pandemic, one of the students is planning on creating a dance to the cornoavirus music from the first assignment.
I heard the beginnings of rap songs, seen sketches of drawings and comic strips, and heard the beginnings of a story or scene from a play.  I cannot wait to see the submissions. 
 In addition I have attached a presentation video that I ask the Advanced Research II students to upload.
​- Dr. McGlade-McCulloh (@ellenmc2)

Chemistry & Physics

​​Physics and Chemistry teachers collaborated to create a group project for students to complete in lieu of a final exam. Students could choose who they would like to work with as well as what they wanted to do and how they were going to demonstrate their understanding.  The groups choose a topic that they learned about this year (see project description below). Then they choose ONE of the following media (see project description below) to express the information and concepts from the assigned unit. There is a grading rubric attached as well. 
-Mr. Musumeci (@Mrmusumeci_MHS)
​-Mrs. Adamski (@mrsadamski1)
Project examples include a children's story, demonstration videos, comic strips, and a song.
free_fall__childrens_story__caitlin.pdf
File Size: 1155 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

newtons_law_song__wagon_wheel__chris.mp3
File Size: 2591 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

motion_graphs_comic_strip_-_alessandra.pdf
File Size: 306 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

English
Instead of acting out the trial from To Kill a Mockingbird, the kids worked individually or in groups and pieced together one scene.  This exceptional example below  is Aimee's project.
-Mr. Smith (@dsmithela)
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Demonstrating analysis and understand via multiple measures in Mrs. Bucchio's class (@Mrs_KBucchio)
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Fusfoo is the platform for our school newspaper "The Questionmark." Click the picture for a link to our Channel - This article and many more are available for you to see.
Below is my Choice Week Project and some of the assignments I received from my student's. I wish I could send them all, it was the most responsive project to date and I was so impressed, and entertained while viewing their submissions! 
- Ms. Gross (@MsGross_MHS)
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This is a picture of outside my Dad’s house. The day after I took this picture, we got the news that Mom was allowed to come home from her 10th neck surgery. I appreciate this picture because I feel it represents that even through the rain, something will always shine through. In my situation, I view the rain as the pandemic and my Mom’s surgery and I view the rainbow as my Mom coming home.
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​My students are currently sending me pictures for a unit I’m doing called “Appreciating the World Around Me.” The assignment was to send me a picture that they or someone they know took representing something beautiful, innocent, simple, etc. to represent their appreciation of their environment. We discussed how this is particularly important now. They are sending me beautiful pictures of sunsets, beaches, flowers, pets, siblings, etc.
~ Mrs. Zaffarese
The student and teacher work included in this post are a result of good questions, coupled with a lot of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking... and this is only a sample. It is time to keep the momentum going and continue to seize the opportunity to make learning real. These skills, along with a sense of community, are the ones that students need right now. 

Finally, I leave you with a quote from Tom Murray (@thomascmurray) and a tweet from Mrs. Erika Meza (@MrsMezaMHS) to remind you that as we continue to push toward modern learning and the important skills our students need, we must always remember that remote or live, teaching and learning is all about relationships... 
Understanding the stories of others and having the ability to act on them in a supportive way builds the type of individuals our world so desperately needs.
~ Thomas C. Murray
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    Whittney Smith, Ed.D.

    Dr. Smith is the Director of Instructional Technology & Assessment and former Principal of Mineola High School in Garden City Park, NY.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at Long Island University.

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