Comments by Dr. Jennifer Van Allen

Interdisciplinary

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 23:37:20 +0200

These projects really take a whole team of teachers in different subject areas. Students not only develop design thinking, but are also developing reading skills, writing skills, presentation skills, and more as they engage in projects like this. Plus, they seem so motivated. I love problem-based learning units. =)

Sketchnoting

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 17:51:52 +0200

These links that you are posting, Marina, remind me of sketchnoting. For those unfamiliar, check out this website: https://www.verbaltovisual.com/what-is-sketchnoting/

Multiple Modes

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 23:39:27 +0200

I totally agree, Brittney. But with the added perk that creating an image, video, audio, etc. text with multiple modes is really writing! I think that some in education have not really considered this idea quite yet, but the way and what we (and our future students) read in today's world is beyond printed text. =)

Seems like George has never truly processed his father's death or grieved. Perhaps a school counselor could help him.

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:42:39 +0200

Was this the reason he was held back so many times?

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:41:19 +0200

Sketchnoting

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:40:01 +0200

This makes me think of sketchnotes and how that could be a good tool for him. https://www.verbaltovisual.com/what-is-sketchnoting/

Mandatory Grade Retention Policies

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:39:01 +0200

There are many states who have mandatory grade retention policies if a child doesn't pass a state assessment in certain grades. I taught in FL for many years as an elementary teacher and literacy coach. We once had a 5th grade student who had been retained 3 times in elementary school, once in Kindergarten and twice in 3rd grade. That means he took 3rd grade 3 times and still didn't pass the state test. When he was in 5th grade, he was old enough to get his learner's permit for driving and was developmentally well beyond his peers leading to many inappropriate situations. I agree that school members, school board members, and politicians need to be mindful of the consequences of mandatory policies like this.

Yes! Great noticing.

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:32:51 +0200

Is communication a focus in the classroom? In my experience, language use like this is taught. Great that he's applying it!

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 17:08:50 +0200

=(

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:29:42 +0200

I was thinking the same thing about attention-seeking. If he does have that many siblings, perhaps he is craving individualized attention.

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:28:04 +0200

I love how this question already builds on a strength!

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:26:19 +0200

Perhaps he has language delays and can't fully communicate what he knows. Also, I know many 6 year olds who don't know the ages of their siblings. =)

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:25:21 +0200

Interesting Connecction

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:16:25 +0200

That's a really interesting connection, Marlen. In what ways do you see the similarities?

Most valuable step is discussion

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:11:52 +0200

While I think all of these steps hold much value, I think the most valuable step is the discussion and recommendations. This is the "action" part of the protocol in which a plan is designed that considers the whole child.

Response to Intervention (RtI)

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:14:49 +0200

I can relate this process to the response to intervention process many schools use to support students. In this process, all students participate in screening and interim assessment to check their progress. For those that aren't performing to the benchmarks, more work is done to understand why and supports are provided. For those students who are not make sufficient progress given targeted supports, a problem-solving committee may convene that examines the student from different perspectives. All stakeholders involved, including the child if they are old enough, should be invited to these meetings. Diagnostic assessments are often performed, along with close evaluation of student work and student characteristics to understand the child more fully. I think that this descriptive child process would actually fit really well as an initial problem-solving meeting! I'm just not sure there would be enough time to conduct this type of meeting with all students who need this level of support. Here's a link to the problem-solving meeting protocol in case you are interested. https://www.interventioncentral.org/sites/default/files/workshop_files/allfiles/Companion_Guide_Tier_3_RTI_Team_Revised.pdf

What is a focusing question?

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 08:22:28 +0200

I did a little bit more research as I had the same question as others who have read this protocol. What I found is that the focusing question is something you are wondering about the child that you can look at from various perspectives. Here are some examples I found: -How can I help Jason work more productively with other children in the classroom? (http://essentialschools.org/horace-issues/making-the-whole-student-visible-the-descriptive-review-of-a-child/) -Who is Aisha as a student and writer? How can I support her as a writer, particularly on her 12th grade senior thesis? (https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/591825) -What is behind Cassie's positive attitude? How can she share her good energy with other students and positively impact her own learning as well as the class community? (http://teachinglearninggrowing.weebly.com/descriptive-review---child-study.html) After reading more, I think the focusing question makes more sense since as the driver behind the confernece.

Focus on parents

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:49:57 +0200

I love this focus on including parents in the dialogue. As a literacy coach, I found that teachers often blame parents for "not reading enough" with their child at home or "not doing their homework", etc. Yet, they really don't give the parents the opportunity to be active partners in their child's education within the confines of what the parents are able to do. What I mean by that is that teachers often don't take the time to understand the context of the child's home life and work with the parents to find ways to enrich their child's education at home. It could be that parents don't attend conferences because of their work schedule, etc. I love how this protocol includes parents as a main stakeholder from the get-go.

This school sounds amazing!

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:44:42 +0200

Wow, I want to be a teacher at this school! Learning how to observe and understand the whole child and focusing on their strengths to support them through challenges is key.

Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:10:13 +0200

All of this is very interesting work and there are so many connections that I can make. I previously read Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. What overlaps do you see?

Leads to asking questions

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:07:48 +0200

To me, this habit of mind naturally leads to so many of the other habits discussed here, just as they discussed at the beginning of this article.

Another Reading Connection

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:05:36 +0200

And here again we have another strategy that effective readers use to comprehend text. Being able to recall important prior knowledge and use it to understand a text is another high impact reading strategy.

Connection to Successful Readers

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:03:56 +0200

As a literacy teacher, I was struck with this habit of mind since it is one of the strategies that successful readers use to comprehend text. It seems that it's not just about what you read, but being curious and wondering are habits of effective thinkers as well!

Reading is Complex!

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 23:55:36 +0200

I've seen students allow themselves to become easily distracted or avoid a task because they are frustrated as striving readers. Once they lose their motivation to persist, it becomes even harder to help them develop their skills. Persistence is key to life!

I wonder how technology adds to these habits of mind? Does our reliance on technology expand the list or add new habits that we need to develop?

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 23:46:51 +0200

I find that I'm so impulsive when I'm in a rush. Oftentimes it takes even longer to complete the task because I'm jumping right in before thinking first. These strategies for managing impulsivity are really important!

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:20:45 +0200

Have you ever been impulsive because you are working with someone who pushes you to make quick decisions? I find this challenging to slow down and think or apply some of these strategies. Any good ideas for combatting this type if impulsivity?

Agree, but also think about your past

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:17:49 +0200

I love this addition Jesse! I think it would also be powerful to ask "What have I done/faced in the past that is similar challenge/problem/solution? Someone else commented on reflection above and I think reflecting on our own past fosters metacognition as well.

As a teacher, I know that I'm tasked with teaching to the state standards. However, are we tasked with also teaching these habits of mind? If they are so powerful and significant for our students' productivity and citizenship, then I think we should.

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:15:01 +0200