Hiatus

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, all the greetings of the season to everyone. I will post again when Garfield is back in session on January 2.

Jeff Combe

More on Rigor

Hello everyone,

Happy winter break to all the middle school teachers. I'll see you sometime when you get back in January.

Good luck on finals to the high schoolers.

You will all forgive me for creating a non-sequitur with today's subject. It's just that it's been on my mind lately, for a variety of reasons.

When I first started teaching, I was given the warning, "Just remember, these are junior high school students, not college students. Don't try to give them college level work." That was good advice, and I commend it to all of you.

But I got other advice, both spoken and implied, that has troubled me.

I was taught that the students in East LA were not up to the sort of rigor I had been accustomed to when I was growing up. It was taught that I should not expect too much from them, and that it was unfair for me to demand things from them that were "beyond" them. I even had a teacher suggest to me once--suggest? nay, I was forcefully told--that it was racist to expect very much from the students of East LA.

I shake with anger as I write this.

I had a student in my honors English class at Belvedere who was accepted to a very prestigious university after high school graduation. The student failed out of the university because, I learned to my shame, my colleagues and I had not provided an education that was adequate preparation for the post-high school experience. (I have many students, by the way, who went on to fine universities and succeeded. I can't help but feel that many of them succeeded despite me. They would have succeeded anywhere.)

In post-year interviews with my students (something I always did, and something I recommend), after grades were in and there were no consequences for telling the truth, many of my early students confessed to me that I was too easy and my class was too light.

I resolved that I would never allow those things to happen again.

And in response to the teacher (long gone, by the way) that it is racist to demand too much, I say that it is racist to demand too little. I grew up in a state that was notoriously underfunded, and I believed that my education was inferior, yet I cannot in good conscience give an education that is less than I received without being able to answer for it before a fair tribunal.

I am not advocating a return to all the practices of the 1960s and 1970s, by any means. Still, I can't help but feel that, if I learned so much in classes that were not designated honors or gifted or AP, my students can learn as least as much in their regular classes if I commit myself to teach them.

And we all know that this generation of student is different from the generations before. They have more tools and information available to them than we ever dreamed. They are wealthier and better protected than we ever were. They are able to gain more with less effort than we could ever imagine.

And we all know that there were things that the previous generation was taught that are not important now. No one needs to waste time teaching slide rules. Key punch operators are a trove of useless knowledge. Communism is not a serious threat.

And we know that they are inclined to give more than their share of adolescent resistance to work.

But it is wrong to be anything less than rigorous.

We should not teach honors and AP classes as if they were well behaved regular classes. We should not teach our regular classes as if they needed to repeat elementary school. We should not waste their time. They are college bound middle and high school students. They must be ready or we condemn them to lives of poverty and difficulty.

Resolve to do it. For the New Year, resolve to teach them.

Jeff Combe

CAHSEE, part 2 (English)

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I mailed the math blueprint for the California High School Exit Exam. Today, I'm including the English portion.

English takes a different approach to testing than math does. Students must be able to read and understand selections from fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama. They must also be able to write well organized, well thought out, well constructed, coherent essays.

There is no way to suddenly teach students to read and write. Those things require practice over a period of time. Furthermore, the sorts of essays that students write on tests like the CAHSEE (not to mention the AP exams) are not the sorts of essays that allow them to edit and be edited. These are supposed to be excellent first drafts, not carefully edited final drafts.

If I were teaching 9th or 10th grade English (I have, by the way), and I wanted to help my students pass the CAHSEE, I would require them to read and write more than they wanted to. Because students are reluctant to read independently, we would read together in class. Because writing can be done at home without supervision, I would frequently assign editable essays for homework. There would also be frequent in-class quickwrites and essay tests. I know from experience that the students don't always like to do that much reading and writing; but I also know from experience that they need it, and there's no other way to perfect the skills than to practice them frequently.

You will note from the blueprint I include below that students must be able to interact with a variety of texts. You will not be able to predict which texts they will be tested on, so you must present that variety in class. You will also note that students must have a good grasp of grammar and usage.

You may see the entire blueprint by clicking on the link:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/bplangarts03.pdf

I include which standards are tested and how many objective questions or essays are required. If a standard is not listed, it isn't tested.

THE BLUEPRINT IS BELOW.

Reading (Grades Nine and Ten with two standards from Grade Eight as noted*)

45 Multiple-choice Items Total

1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

7 Multiple Choice Items

1.1 Identify and use the literal and figurative meanings of words and understand word derivations.

(5)

1.2 Distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words and interpret the connotative power of words.

(2)

2.0 Reading Comprehension

18 Multiple-choice Items

Structural Features of Informational Materials

†2.1 Compare and contrast the features and elements of consumer materials to gain meaning from documents (e.g., warranties, contracts, product information, instruction manuals).

(3 questions; 8th grade standard)

2.1 Analyze the structure and format of functional workplace documents, including the graphics and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.

(1)

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

2.4

Synthesize the content from several sources or works by a single author dealing with a single issue; paraphrase the ideas and connect them to other sources and related topics to demonstrate

comprehension.

(3)

2.5

Extend ideas presented in primary or secondary sources through original analysis, evaluation, and elaboration.

(3)

Expository Critique

2.7 Critique the logic of functional documents by examining the sequence of information and procedures in anticipation of possible reader misunderstandings.

(3)

2.8

Evaluate the credibility of an author’s argument or defense of a claim by critiquing the relationship between generalizations and evidence, the comprehensiveness of evidence, and the way in which the author’s intent affects the structure and tone of the text (e.g., in

professional journals, editorials, political speeches, primary source material).

(5)

3.0

Literary Response and Analysis

20 Multiple-choice Items

Structural Features of Literature

3.1

Articulate the relationship between the expressed purposes and the characteristics of different forms of dramatic literature (e.g., comedy, tragedy, drama, dramatic monologue).

(2)

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

3.3

Analyze interactions between main and subordinate characters in a literary text (e.g., internal and external conflicts, motivations, relationships, influences) and explain the way those interactions affect the plot.

(2)

3.4

Determine characters’ traits by what the characters say aboutthemselves in narration, dialogue, dramatic monologue, and soliloquy.

(2)

3.5

Compare works that express a universal theme and provide evidence to support the ideas expressed in each work.

(2)

3.6

Analyze and trace an author’s development of time and sequence, including the use of complex literary devices (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks).

(2)

3.7

Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal.

(2)

3.8 Interpret and evaluate the impact of ambiguities, subtleties, contradictions, ironies, and incongruities in a text.

(2)

3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.

(2)

3.10 Identify and describe the function of dialogue, scene designs, soliloquies, asides, and character foils in dramatic literature.

(1)

Literary Criticism

(3) (Tasks that assess the three different approaches will be rotated across test forms.)

†8.3.7 Analyze a work of literature, showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions, attitudes, and beliefs of its author. (Biographical approach--8th grade standard)

3.11 Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme, using the terminology of literary criticism. (Aesthetic approach)

3.12 Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period. (Historical approach)

Writing (Grades Nine and Ten)

27 Multiple-choice Items

1.0

Writing Strategies

12 Multiple-choice Items

Organization and Focus

1.1 Establish a controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and distinctive perspective on the subject and maintain a consistent tone and focus throughout the piece of writing.

(3)

1.2 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers, and the active rather than the passive voice.

(3)

1.4 Develop the main ideas within the body of the composition through supporting evidence (e.g., scenarios, commonly held beliefs, hypotheses, definitions).

(2)

1.5 Synthesize information from multiple sources and identify complexities and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found in each medium (e.g., almanacs, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, journals, technical documents).

(1)

Evaluation and Revision

1.9 Revise writing to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and controlling perspective, the precision of word choice, and the tone by taking into consideration the audience, purpose, and formality of the context.

(3)

2.0

Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

Essay Item

Students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce texts of at least 1,500 words each. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.

THESE ARE THE POSSIBLE ESSAYS THAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED ON THE TEST:

Students:

2.1

Write biographical narratives:

a. Relate a sequence of events and communicate the significance of the events to the audience.

b. Locate scenes and incidents in specific places.

c. Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters’ feelings.

d. Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and mood.

e. Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details.

2.2

Write responses to literature:

a. Demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the significant ideas of literary works.

b. Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text or to other works.

c. Demonstrate awareness of the author’s use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created.

d. Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.

2.3

Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports:

a. Marshal evidence in support of a thesis and related claims, including information on all relevant perspectives.

b. Convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.

c. Make distinctions between the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas.

d. (Deleted)

e. Anticipate and address readers’ potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations.

f. Use technical terms and notations accurately.

2.4

Write persuasive compositions:

a. Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained and logical fashion.

b. Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (e.g., appeal to logic through reasoning; appeal to emotion or ethical belief; relate a personal anecdote, case study, or analogy).

c. Clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including facts, expert opinions, quotations, and expressions of commonly accepted beliefs and logical reasoning.

d. Address readers’ concerns, counterclaims, biases, and expectations.

2.5 Write business letters:

a. Provide clear and purposeful information and address the intended audience appropriately.

b. Use appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style to take into account the nature of the relationship with, and the knowledge and interests of, the recipients.

c. Highlight central ideas or images.

d. Follow a conventional style with page formats, fonts, and spacing that contribute to the documents’ readability and impact.

2.6 Write technical documents (e.g., a manual on rules of behavior for conflict resolution, procedures for conducting a meeting, minutes of a meeting):

a. Report information and convey ideas logically and correctly.

b. Offer detailed and accurate specifications.

c. Include scenarios, definitions, and examples to aid comprehension (e.g., troubleshooting guide).

d. Anticipate readers’ problems, mistakes, and misunderstandings.

1.0

Written and Oral English Language Conventions

15 Multiple Choice Items

1.1 Identify and correctly use clauses (e.g., main and subordinate), phrases (e.g., gerund, infinitive, and participial), and mechanics of punctuation (e.g., semicolons, colons, ellipses, hyphens).

(5)

1.2 Understand sentence construction (e.g., parallel structure, subordination, proper placement of modifiers) and proper English usage (e.g., consistency of verb tenses).

(5)

1.3 Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction, and syntax.

(5)

Use your breaks

Hello everyone,

Lengthy breaks in the school year, such as the sort that happen during winter break, are an ideal opportunity to make mid-year corrections in your policies and practices.

When I was first teaching, I discovered (well, someone suggested it to me and I used it; I'm not the discoverer) that changes were best made after a break. Weekends are good; three day weekends are better. Lengthy breaks are ideal.

You may spend the next few weeks before schools re-open in January, thinking about what is working and what is not working in your classes. When students return, you might say something like, "I've been thinking that these things aren't working very well in the class." (Be honest, but be careful about not getting into accusation/counter-accusation with the students; and don't undermine your own authority or credibility by emphasizing your faults.) "Because of that, I've decided to [tell them what you're going to do]."

Some things I recommend.

Many of you will want to reconsider the seating chart in the class. All sorts of bad things happen when students move around and sit in irregular spots. (It's true that some classes function well enough without a seating chart, but they are frankly the exception, not the rule--especially for new teachers.) I think it's not a bad thing to have students begin in strictly alphabetical patterns. This will account for the changes that many of you will have at the semester, and it will give the middle school students the feelings that they may begin the New Year with no previous marks on their character. (If they mess around, then change their seat later, but start them off in alphabetical order.)

Take this opportunity to get out of the habit of giving multiple warnings and chances for misbehavior. Resolve to tell your students what you expect of their behavior and what the consequences are, then give the consequences immediately--not after repeated warnings. "I'm not going to tell you again," is more a joke than a warning. "If you do that one more time...," is more an invitation than a threat.

Resolve to learn again to laugh and find humor. A good joke is a good joke, even if you are the brunt of it. Seeing the humor in situations is a healthy way to live. In the middle of a pitched battle between a teacher and a mis-behaving kid, it's easy to lose perspective, so take the time off to try to rebuild it.

Come back on the first day and begin working. Establish in your students the expectation of work, and keep building on that expectation. They're too far behind for you to waste time--especially after they just had time off. (If you're in a class that justifies it, by all means give work during the break.) They'll buck you at first, but they'll come around.

Whatever you do, work toward simplifying your routine. Don't plot ways to make things difficult. Plot ways to make things better. Then carry out your plot.

Jeff Combe

California High School Exit Exam, part 1 (Math)

Hello everyone,

Garfield met today to discuss the California High School Exit Exam and how to help students to pass it (consequently helping our API--if I may paraphrase the classic film "Miracle on 34th Street"). The California Department of Education publishes their blueprint for the CAHSEE, telling exactly which standards will be tested, and how many questions are devoted to each standard.

If I were a math teacher, in middle or high school, and I were trying to help students pass the CAHSEE, I would focus on the standards that have the most questions, or the standards that provide the best foundation for answering the most questions correctly. Some of the standards are never covered on the CAHSEE, and ought not be emphasized unless they provide foundational material.

If I were an English teacher, I would wait until tomorrow when I publish the same blueprint for English.

If I were teaching an elective or a core academic subject (like science) that utilized math extensively, I would focus on the math concepts that my students needed to pass the CAHSEE.

If my students had all passed the CAHSEE, I would focus all my attention on getting them ready for college, which involves much higher skill and content levels than the CAHSEE.

If I were uncertain about what Combe is writing about, or if there were questions I had, I would go to the California Department of Education website and look at the blueprint for the CAHSEE. It's aligned with the California standards. Here is the link:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/documents/bpmath03.pdf

BELOW, YOU WILL FIND THE MATH STANDARDS THAT ARE TESTED ON THE CAHSEE. THE NUMBER IN PARENTHESES IS THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS FROM EACH GIVEN STANDARD THAT ARE FOUND ON THE TEST. IF WORDS ARE STRICKEN OUT WITH A LINE, THEY ARE NO LONGER TESTED. IF A STANDARD IS NOT LISTED, IT'S NOT TESTED.

Grade 6—Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
8 Items Total

1.1 Compute the range, mean, median, and mode of data sets.
(3)

2.5 Identify claims based on statistical data and, in simple cases, evaluate the validity of the claims.
(1)

3.1 Represent all possible outcomes for compound events in an organized way (e.g., tables, grids, tree diagrams) and express the theoretical probability of each outcome.
(1)

3.3 Represent probabilities as ratios, proportions, decimals between 0 and 1, and percentages between 0 and 100 and verify that the probabilities computed are reasonable; know that if Pis the probability of an event, 1-Pis the probability of an event not occurring.
(2)


3.5 Understand the difference between independent and dependent events. (1)

Grade 7—Number Sense
14 Items Total

1.1 Read, write, and compare rational numbers in scientific notation (positive and negative powers of 10) with approximate numbers using scientific notation.
(1)

1.2 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers (integers, fractions, and terminating decimals) and take positive rational numbers to whole-number powers.
(3)

1.3 Convert fractions to decimals and percents and use these representations in estimations, computations, and applications.
(2)

1.6 Calculate the percentage of increases and decreases of a quantity.
(1)

1.7 Solve problems that involve discounts, markups, commissions, and profit, and compute simple and compound interest.
(2)

2.1 Understand negative whole-number exponents. Multiply and divide expressions involving exponents with a common base.
(1)

2.2 Add and subtract fractions by using factoring to find common denominators.
(1)

2.3 Multiply, divide, and simplify rational numbers by using exponent rules.
(1)

2.4 Use the inverse relationship between raising to a power and extracting the root of a perfect square integer; for an integer that is not square, determine without a calculator the two integers between which its square root lies and explain why.
(1)

2.5 Understand the meaning of the absolute value of a number; interpret the absolute value as the distance of the number from zero on a number line; and determine the absolute value of real numbers.
(1)

Grade 7—Algebra and Functions
17 Items Total

1.1 Use variables and appropriate operations to write an expression, an equation, an inequality, or a system of equations or inequalities that represents a verbal description (e.g., three less than a number, half as large as area A).
(2)

1.2 Use the correct order of operations to evaluate algebraic expressions such as 3(2x+5)2 .
(1)

1.5 Represent quantitative relationships graphically and interpret the meaning of a specific part of a graph in the situation represented by the graph.
(3)

2.1 Interpret positive whole-number powers as repeated multiplication and negative whole-number powers as repeated division or multiplication by the multiplicative inverse. Simplify and evaluate expressions that include exponents.
(1)

2.2 Multiply and divide monomials; extend the process of taking powers and extracting roots to monomials when the latter results in a monomial with an integer exponent.
(1)

3.1 Graph functions of the form y=nx2 and y=nx3 and use in solving problems.
(1)

3.3 Graph linear functions, noting that the vertical change (change in y-value) per unit of horizontal change (change in x-value) is always the same and know that the ratio (“rise over run”) is called the slope of a graph.
(2)

3.4 Plot the values of quantities whose ratios are always the same (e.g., cost to the number of an item, feet to inches, circumference to diameter of a circle). Fit a line to the plot and understand that the slope of a line equals the quantities.
(1)

4.1 Solve two-step linear equations and inequalities in one variable over the rational numbers, interpret the solution or solutions in the context from which they arose, and verify the reasonableness of the results.
(3)

4.2 Solve multistep problems involving rate, average speed, distance, and time or a direct variation.
(2)

Grade 7—Measurement and Geometry
17 Items Total

1.1 Compare weights, capacities, geometric measures, times, and temperatures within and between measurement systems (e.g., miles per hour and feet per second, cubic inches to cubic centimeters).
(2)

1.2 Construct and read drawings and models made to scale.
(1)

1.3 Use measures expressed as rates (e.g., speed, density) and measures expressed as products (e.g., person-days) to solve problems; check the units of the solutions; and use dimensional analysis to check the reasonableness of the answer.
(2)

2.1 Use formulas routinely for finding the perimeter and area of basic two-dimensional figures and the surface area and volume of basic three-dimensional figures, including rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, squares, triangles, circles, prisms, and cylinders.
(3)

2.2 Estimate and compute the area of more complex or irregular two- and three-dimensional figures by breaking the figures down into more basic geometric objects.
(2)

2.3 Compute the length of the perimeter, the surface area of the faces, and the volume of a three-dimensional object built from rectangular solids. Understand that when the lengths of all dimensions are multiplied by a scale factor, the surface area is multiplied by the square of the scale factor and volume is multiplied by the cube of the scale factor.
(1)

2.4 Relate the changes in measurement with a change of scale to the units used (e.g., square inches, cubic feet) and to conversions between units (1square foot = 144 square inches or [1 ft2] = [144 in2], 1 cubic inch is approximately 16.38 cubic centimeters or [1 in3] = [16.38 cm3]).
(1)

3.2 Understand and use coordinate graphs to plot simple figures, determine lengths and areas related to them, and determine their image under translations and reflections.
(2)

3.3 Know and understand the Pythagorean theorem and its converse and use it to find the length of the missing side of a right triangle and the lengths of other line segments and, in some situations, empirically verify the Pythagorean theorem by direct measurement.
(2)

3.4 Demonstrate an understanding of conditions that indicate two geometrical figures are congruent and what congruence means about the relationships between the sides and angles of the two figures.
(1)

Grade 7—Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
4 Items Total

1.1 Know various forms of display for data sets, including a stem-and-leaf
plot or box-and-whisker plot; use the forms to display a single set of data or to compare two sets of data.
(2)

1.2 Represent two numerical variables on a scatterplot and informally describe how the data points are distributed and any apparent relationship that exists between the two variables (e.g., between time spent on homework and grade level).
(2)

Grade 7—Mathematical Reasoning
8 Item Total
Plus Integrated
into Other Strands

1.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships, distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, identifying missing information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
(2)

1.2 Formulate and justify mathematical conjectures based on a general description of the mathematical question or problem posed.
(1)

2.1 Use estimation to verify the reasonableness of calculated results.
(2)

2.3 Estimate unknown quantities graphically and solve for them by using logical reasoning and arithmetic and algebraic techniques.
(1)

2.4 Make and test conjectures by using both inductive and deductive reasoning.
(1)

3.3 Develop generalizations of the results obtained and the strategies used and apply them to new problem situations.
(1)

Algebra I
12 Items Total

2.0
Students understand and use such operations as taking the opposite, finding
the reciprocal, and taking a root, and raising to a fractional power. They
understand and use the rules of exponents.
(1)

3.0
Students solve equations and inequalities involving absolute values.
(1)

4.0
Students simplify expressions before solving linear equations and
inequalities in one variable, such as 3(2x-5) + 4(x-2) = 12.
(1)

5.0
Students solve multistep problems, including word problems, involving linear
equations and linear inequalities in one variable and provide justification for
each step.
(1)

6.0
Students graph a linear equation and compute the x- and y-intercepts (e.g.,
graph 2x+ 6y = 4). They are also able to sketch the region defined by linear inequality (e.g., they sketch the region defined by 2x+ 6y< 4).
(1 graphing item; 1 computing item)
(2)

7.0
Students verify that a point lies on a line, given an equation of the line. Students are able to derive linear equations. by using the point-slope formula.
(1)

8.0
Students understand the concepts of parallel lines and perpendicular lines
and how their slopes are related. Students are able to find the equation of a
line perpendicular to a given line that passes through a given point.
(1)

9.0 Students solve a system of two linear equations in two variables
algebraically and are able to interpret the answer graphically. Students are able to solve a system of two linear inequalities in two variables and to sketch the solution sets.
(1)

10.0 Students add, subtract, multiply, and divide monomials and polynomials. Students solve multistep problems, including word problems, by using these techniques.
(1)

15.0 Students apply algebraic techniques to solve rate problems, work problems, and percent mixture problems.
(1)

Formative assessment

Hello everyone,

The whole point of assessment is to know how well your students have understood what you've been teaching them. Formative assessment is a critical kind.

Formative assessment is what you use to check on their understanding daily. You adjust your teaching--don't you?--to make sure they've understood.

By the way, things like asking them, "Are there any questions?" or "Did you get it?" or--worse--"Why didn't you get that? I told you three times!" are not assessments. Homework is not usually a good assessment because it's so easy to cheat. (Correcting the homework, however, can serve as an assessment.)

I liked to use a variety of formative assessments in the classroom.

Here's an assessment I would use in my classroom: "Hold your hands in front of your body so no-one but me can see you. Put your thumbs up if 'walks the dog' is the subject; thumbs down if it is the predicate." I wouldn't tell them which it was if most of them got it wrong; I would just know how extensively I needed to reteach.

Here's a tricky sort of assessment to keep them on their toes: "Raise your hand if you don't know which punctuation to put here." Then I call on someone without a hand raised to explain the answer. If the student knows, then I know I have a reasonably accurate assessment going, and I can force participation. The lazy ones who don't like to raise their hands are faced with the problem of whether to take a chance of being called on or having to raise their hands. If everyone raises a hand, then I will reteach as if they are all telling the truth about what they don't know.

Here's something to keep in mind: NEVER CRITICIZE A STUDENT FOR NOT GETTING IT, FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING, OR FOR ASKING YOU TO EXPLAIN. The most accurate assessment you can probably get is in the questions students will ask, not the answers they give. If you allow them to ask questions, then you know exactly what to reteach, and they will direct how you will reteach. If you kill the questions, you kill the assessment. Remember, if they tell you they "don't get it," they are not attacking you personally. Help them "get it."

A quickwrite is an excellent assessment. "Write everything you know about mitosis in 10 minutes." (Try giving open-ended points for everything correct.) You must be willing to read beyond their spelling and grammar to see what they really know about mitosis, but you will have a pretty good assessment of what they know. (These are harder to correct than objective quizzes, but they are excellent assessments.)

Try using games as assessments. Adapt a game to fit what you have just taught, then let the students play. It will give a good overall idea of what the class remembers. I had a white-board version of football and baseball that I used as "review." I also used it as an opportunity to assess the students and reteach difficult concepts. (They were anxious to learn when points were on the line.)

Find ways to assess the full range of thinking in Bloom's taxonomy. Don't just test their knowledge; assess their ability to think critically. Don't just test for synthesis; make sure they understand the vocabulary. Test the full range, and reteach when necessary.

You're getting close to summative assessment (the final, the last hurrah, the ultimate test, the summation, make or break). Use formative assessments to fill in the gaps that they haven't gotten yet.

Next semester, try starting with the assessment. If you know what you're going to test on, you will teach to your own test. Work backward from the summative exam in all your planning, and your planning will go easier. Constantly use formative assessment to make sure they're on track.

Jeff Combe

Practical advice on writing objective exams

Hello everyone,

As the semester comes to a close at Garfield, you should be planning for the final exams in your classes.

Generally, final exams are summative assessments, though first semester finals can be used to guide instruction in many of your classes' second semesters. I want to think in summative terms, however, and I want to consider only written exams.

Let's put grading aside, and consider only how to write a final exam as a summative assessment. There are a few rules that you MUST keep in mind:

1. You cannot hold students accountable for something they haven't been required to learn. Avoid including questions on your final that reference anything that wasn't covered in some explicit way in class.

2. Your questions must be clear, understandable, and unambiguous. Do not use trick questions; do not hold students fully accountable for ambiguous questions.

3. Written exams used as summative assessments cannot measure everything a student has learned if your subject teaches both skills and concepts, unless the skills you are testing are reading, writing, or calculation. Practical skills like performing music, playing a sport, or using equipment must be assessed using another kind of test.

Keep in mind the general rule that essay tests are easy to write but hard to correct. Objective tests (multiple choice, true and false, matching) are easy to correct but hard to write. As a former English teacher, I prefer essay tests, but there is rarely time to correct them (unless you're very fast) at the end of the semester. Having said all that, I want to give a few suggestions on objective tests.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

I think this is the best objective method for measuring knowledge, but you need to be careful how you write them or your assessment will be skewed.

You should give students four or five choices. Make sure that the possible answers are spread randomly over the full range of possibilities. (Letter "B" is the most commonly used answer slot; consciously make sure that "A," "C," and "D" are used equally as much.

Make sure that the answers are unambiguous. There should only be one correct answer. If a student points out that you've mis-written a question or the answers, be prepared to give credit for multiple answers.

Most students can easily answer 100 questions in an hour.

TRUE OR FALSE

These are easy to write and correct, but do not give a very good assessment because they are so easy to guess on. I don't think it's fair to make the questions hard to understand to compensate for the ease of answering them. Mixing a few true/false questions in a lengthy test, however, is like giving the kids a break.

100 questions in 1/2 hour.

CLOZE

This is the sort of question that makes a statement, leaving out a key vocabulary word. Students must be able to put the correct word in a blank. It is very easy to get too ambiguous with Close tests. Make sure that only one word could possibly go in the blank. "Marie Curie is credited with the discovery of the radioactive substance named ______." This sort of test is good for cold recall, but teachers often get caught up in what they WANT to go in the blank, and forget what COULD go in the blank, which is frustrating for students.

100 questions in 75 minutes.

MATCHING

This requires students to match one thing in one column, with a similar thing in another column. Having students match more than ten pairs of words or concepts is usually difficult and confusing, while matching five pairs gives just as fair an assessment, if they really know the material. Having words that could be the answers for more than one question, or having words that don't match with anything provides a more accurate assessment than having matchups that allow the process of elimination to dictate thinking.

100 questions in 50-90 minutes.

I hope this is useful. Remember, you're trying to assess them, not stump them. It's a test, not a trick.

Jeff Combe

Tribute to a Garfield alum

Hello everyone,

I had an experience today that gives perspective to our jobs.

Raymond Emil (Mike) Wolohen's funeral was today. Mike was 81 years old, and he died of cancer.

He was a graduate of Garfield High School, class of Winter 1943.

When he was a boy, he lived across the street from the high school, and as an adult he would regale me with stories of how his brother could sleep in until the last possible minute, then jump into his PE clothes, and be on campus before his name was called in roll call. Mike could do the same thing with his shop classes. (I thought that he said that he lived on Fraser Street, which meant that the shop building used to be on the west end of campus. Otherwise he would have had to sprint a couple of blocks to get to where his class was.)

In Mike's school years, Garfield had classes on staggered schedules, and students graduated in both the summer and the winter.

Mike joined the Navy right out of high school, and he was buried with full military honors as a veteran of the Pacific Theater of World War II. He met his wife when he was in Seattle as the war was ending, and they remained married for 61 years.

Mike's family was hard working Irish/Germans. He was short and stout, and he would tell the most outrageous stories with a completely straight face.

He lived among hard working people of a wide variety of backgrounds. They all got along--at least as well as high school students normally get along--and they kept in contact with each other over the years.

His memories are fond of Garfield. He was a prankster, and I suspect he played pranks on both his teachers and his classmates. He never spoke of himself as a particularly distinguished student, and I suspect that may have been true.

But he was a good man--as good as they come.

He used to keep a cup of spare change in his car to give to the homeless. He lived modestly, but he had sufficient wealth to help many people when they needed it. He often did anonymous acts of service in his church and community.

He faced death head on with no apologies or fears. "How are you doing?" I asked him when he was in the hospital just before he died. "Well, I'm dying," he answered. Then he told me a joke and a series of funny stories. "Come and see me again before I go," he said, but he died too quickly for me to see him again.

I tell people, "I want to go like Mike." He died with courage, panache, and humor. He left his family well provided for, though not wealthy. He made all the funeral and death arrangements himself before he died. No one ever met him who didn't love him.

Mike is what our students will be in 60 years or more. At least, I hope so.

Jeff Combe

Focus on the one, part 2

Hello everyone,

I received the email below, and I wanted all of you to have a chance to see the things it suggests. I have edited it, and I occasionally clarify or comment in CAPS. You may need to keep in mind that the teacher in question has a background in therapy, and the class size is smaller than an average general education class.

To: Combe, Jeffery
Subject: Re: Daily email: Focus on the ones who want to learn

...My philosophy in this regard (and in general)is "one kid at a time." I take the most egregious offender and work with him/her first, employing whatever methods I happen to have chosen. This may take an hour or days until what I call our "learning bargain" begins to work.

While this intense behavior modification is occurring [with one student], however, many [other] things are happening. Others in the "act up/out" population continue to do so, but without the participation of our current target subject, as I've employed consequences heavy enough (plus whatever therapy/connecting) to neutralize him/her.

Unless the remaining kids prevent instruction, I ignore or teach over them (there is obviously disciplining occurring, but without any deeper cause/effect work)to the rest of the willing learners.

I NEED TO INTERJECT HERE. IN THIS TEACHER'S SMALL CLASS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE THIS STRATEGY AS DESCRIBED.

I AM CONCERNED THAT SOME OF YOU MAY READ THIS DIFFERENTLY THAN IT'S INTENDED, HOWEVER. THIS IS NOT THE COMPLETE PICTURE, BY ANY MEANS; I HAVE BEEN IN THIS CLASSROOM, AND THERE IS GOOD CONTROL. DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CASES WHERE THE TEACHER DRONES ON AND ON TO A SMALL GROUP WHILE THE REST TEAR THE CLASSROOM APART; THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING. IT'S A MATTER OF INTENSITY OF FOCUS BEING DIFFERENT, WHICH IS APPROPRIATE.

IN A LARGER CLASS, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE OTHER KIDS IN CHECK MORE THAN MAY SEEM TO BE INDICATED HERE.

THE IDEA OF CHOOSING A KEY STUDENT AND "NEUTRALIZING" THAT STUDENT IS AN IMPORTANT IDEA.

It's amazing how the removal of the behavior of the lynchpin kid decreases this anyway.

I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSCORE THAT THE TEACHER IS SPEAKING OF THE REMOVAL OF BEHAVIOR, NOT REMOVAL OF THE STUDENT. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.

My rationale for stabilizing the toughest (or loudest) kid first, is that the correction for
balance of power of the classroom is most greatly affected this way; biggest bang for my buck. Once the target child begins to enjoy the results of learning and I know he/she has gotten the large message, I move to the next greatest offender and begin the deeper, individually tailored work all over again.

One of the many collateral benefits of the "one kid at a time" approach is that once the first kid has gotten my "special" attention, the other needier ones want "special" treatment also. These kids don't know it, but all any of them really want is to be treated like they're special. Once you've shown that you're someone who does this, they're yours.

TRUE. UNDERLINE THAT.

Special attention or the "learning bargain" is different for each kid, but the place that . . . I [commonly] start, is getting parents involved in a hopeful, sincere way.

THIS USE OF PARENTS IS KEY. YOU WILL FIND THAT, AFTER YOU HAVE THE BEHAVIOR UNDER CONTROL, YOU ARE ABLE TO START CALLING PARENTS FOR MORE POSITIVE REASONS (IE, TELLING THEM THAT THEIR CHILD HAS DONE SOMETHING GOOD, RATHER THAN SOMETHING BAD), WHICH HELP TO FOSTER THE "HOPEFUL, SINCERE" PART OF THE "LEARNING BARGAIN." POSITIVE PHONE CALLS HOME CAN OFTEN BE MORE POWERFUL THAN NEGATIVE ONES.

By the third or fourth week I have a "learning bargain" with every kid, and he or she is reminded of it frequently and with different levels of intensity.

A "LEARNING BARGAIN," OR ANY SORT OF MUTUALLY AGREED UPON CONTRACT BETWEEN TEACHER AND STUDENT, MAY BE WRITTEN OR VERBAL, PRIVATE OR SHARED WITH OTHERS. USE WHAT WORKS THE BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS. SOME TEACHERS HAVE CLASS-WIDE CONTRACTS WITH EACH OF THEIR CLASSES. SOME STUDENTS REQUIRE INDIVIDUAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE TEACHERS. IT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA.

This does not address everything, but it allows those who want to learn a place to do it. . . Thanks, as always, for an opportunity to think and articulate these things. It really helps me get better at what I do [and get] in touch with the things that make this job not just a job.

WELL SAID.

JEFF COMBE

Focus on the ones who want to learn

Hello everyone,

You must realize that, even in the worst behaved class, there are students who really want to learn.

You have an obligation to these students.

Do not, as some some teachers in movies and literature do, make favorites of your students. Treat all your students with equity--with this exception: Make sure that the good students get the bulk of your attention in the classroom.

What I mean is, if you find that the majority of your time is taken up with taking care of the misbehaving students, then you may be certain something is wrong. If you are not helping someone who really wants to learn because you've gone off to discipline someone who's being disruptive, then something's wrong. If your lesson isn't happening at all because a cadre of students is preventing it, then you have a big problem.

I'm not saying that you should give up and allow the misbehavers to get away with it. Give them their consequence, and move on. It's best if their consequence is given to them quietly while everyone else is working (what's best is not always possible).

You may find that, if you keep the class moving with a good lesson plan, and if you are giving good positive support to those that are trying, and if your attention to the disrupters is minimal (only what is necessary to keep them accountable), then peer pressure will shift toward learning and away from disrupting. It's what one of you called "herd behavior," but it's real.

By the same token, if you let disrupters get away with bad behavior, if your lesson plans are poorly thought out or non-existent, or if your consequences are vicious and arbitrary, you will alienate the very students that should be the core of honest learning in your class.

Let most of your focus and your concern--indeed most of your time--be on those who really want to learn. The others will come around, one by one.

Jeff Combe

The end of post-modernism

Hello everyone,

It's the day before a holiday, so I would like to wax philosophical.

I think we are witnessing the end of post-modernism and the beginning of a new major trend. I propose that we call this major trend "millenialism." That name seems to fit the age, and I'm tired of "-isms" that begin with "post."

It's impossible in the early stages of a paradigm shift to separate all the elements that distinguish the new paradigm from those of the old one, but there are some things that are going on that I think will likely characterize much of the next half-century. I mention only those that I think are most appropriate for general educators to consider:

1. The notion of community is being severely altered. Community is no longer going to be determined by geographical proximity, but by shared interests. Communities will be formed on the web around ad hoc meeting sites such as Myspace or Facebook (the latter of which ironically begins with geographical commonality--ie, the members belong to a specific university--that breaks down almost immediately as new communities are formed with Facebook as the vehicle); groups of "friends" that are collected as instant messages, cell phone numbers, or email address books; groups formed around advertised products (clothing lines, music, films), political issues (not parties), or other fads.

2. Face to face communication is going to be much less common. Even when people are together, they are increasingly communicating in asides to each other as they divide their concentration between the asides and their entertainment. Having meaningful conversations isolated from the electronic background will be rare.

3. Writing will be increasingly important, but not in the traditional sense. Spelling and grammar will be altered to accommodate text messaging.

4. Communal entertainment experiences will become rarer; fewer people will go to theaters or stadia for anything but "mega" experiences (mega-concerts, large sporting events, large extravaganzas). Intimate artistic experiences will be viewed electronically, and that mostly solo. Solo audience experiences (like iPods) will further isolate us.

5. Attention spans will be even shorter. Patience will be a virtue that must be consciously taught; there will be little in the world to teach it.

6. Cheating will be (you may read this "is") endemic.

This may sound pessimistic or fatalistic. I don't intend it to be. I think that we need to look at as much as we can, then see what we can do.

If I were working in the classroom through the trends I believe are happening, I would overtly teach my students the need for face to face communication. I would help them to form themselves into a community. I would refuse to allow them to hide behind their electronic devices. I would try to accommodate their short attention spans while I tried to help them lengthen those spans. I would teach them to appreciate communal experiences. I would not allow cheating. I would not allow them to use text-message spelling or grammar in formal essays.

I suppose I'm doomed to be old fashioned and very post-modern, but there are things that I think are valuable that may be lost to a large extent if we in education don't nurture them.

At the same time, I can continue to love my iPod if I want.

Jeff Combe

My Pendulum Swings

Hello everyone,

I know I seem like a pendulum. One email tells you to clamp down on bad behavior, the next tells you to love the kids.

Think that it's less a pendulum and more a balancing act. You're walking on a tightrope; when you swing too far one way, you need to catch yourself and swing back the other.

Part of the secret is to know when to do the swinging.

Here are a few principles to keep in mind:

You are in charge. You may be a nice person, but you are in charge.

You MUST take charge. If you don't take charge, then you are telling other people that they are in charge, not you.

This taking charge should have happened at the first day of your class. Some of you came into your classes late into the year; some of you didn't take charge at the beginning; some of you are still learning how to take charge. What this means is that the act of taking charge is going to be harder for you than it is for those who took charge in the first moments of the first day. It's not impossible, but it's difficult. (Resolve that next year you'll do better.)

Remember that good planning is essential to taking charge. If your days are bad, look to your planning first.

If you are currently in what feels like a battle for control of your class, and your students are telling you they hate you and you are mean, don't take it personally.

Sometimes in the heat of "battle," you will lose track of what it is you really want. What you really want is to deliver the highest quality, standards-based instruction to all your students. You may have loftier goals of helping your students become fine, upstanding members of this great democracy, and that's all right. You may incorporate the two goals and do well. But if your class is only a constant revisiting of the rules and enforcement of the rules, then you're not accomplishing anything.

As soon as possible, you must move away from the unemotional authority figure toward the warm, caring, nurturing teacher.

If, in the middle of November, you have classes that are not under control, you will likely remain in the unemotional authority figure mode for some time--months perhaps.

Even in the midst of being an unemotional authority figure, you must judiciously find good things that your students have done. Do not lavish praise, but do not withhold it either. You must remember to teach your students what it means to be under control so that they can move toward self control. That means that you must tell them when they have done it correctly. If they have a particularly difficult time doing things correctly, then you should point out when they have done part of what you suggest correctly. ("I asked you to sit down quietly and do your work; I appreciate that you have sat down; now, please be quiet and do your work. I appreciate that you have your materials out, now do your work, please." Etc.)

Above all, however, you must love them. Hate their behavior, by all means, but love them.

In this sense, I'm not swinging like a pendulum. I'm thinking that there are fixed ideas, and as you work with the kids, you must keep the ideas in mind.

Even when you are being the strictest you must be, even when you are firm about severe consequences for behavior, even when you are not giving in to the begging or the whining or the flirting that they will do to get you to give in and let them off free, you should still love them and respect them. Firmly separate the child from the child's behavior. Mercy for the child, justice for the behavior.

Jeff Combe

Education and entertainment

Hello everyone,

When I first started teaching in the dark days before iPods and cellphones, my colleagues and I used to ask each other in wailing voices, "What do they want from us, Muppets?"

What we meant was that our students had spent so much time being entertained that they wouldn't accept a normal education unless it was couched in the imagery of entertainment, much as Sesame Street so successfully did. We couldn't compete with the Children's Television Workshop--or any other professional programmer, and we knew it, and we resented it.

Today, things are both better and worse.

We have much better technology now; there are a wide variety of things we can use in the classroom to hold student attention as we teach. There is more research about education available to us, and we have better training. Our textbooks are more interactive and use web-based resources in ways that were only a dream when I started my career. Students are communicating in writing more than any other time in history.

On the other hand, students often seem less inclined to think abstractly; they are less patient with lengthy processes; they are often less able to concentrate for long periods on complex, abstract thoughts; they read less than ever; their writing is filled with the quirks and shortcuts of text-messaging and email (u r w/ me on this? ;) lol).

Does this mean it's impossible to get students to pay attention without all the bells and whistles of the technology-based classroom? If it is, pity the poor teacher who can't get a projector when she needs it. I think students can still be engaged by a great text (even an old one) with nothing more than a great teacher and enough books and desks to go around.

I just don't think it's necessary to be so Spartan if you don't have to be.

When you plan your lessons, plan to use the widest variety of teaching tools that are available to you. Frequently vary your activities. Acknowledge that what you do in the classroom competes with video games, the internet, text-messages, an enormous music library, and a general lack of independent reading. Plan accordingly.

On a side note, there is a growing concern that today's youth are not learning to socialize normally. They listen to music, they text message each other, they email, they play video games together, they have sexual encounters. But they don't always know how to have an appropriate conversation, with eye contact, over an extended period, without outside stimuli. We need to try to give them opportunities to practice normal conversation. Hence the recent trend toward socialized instruction, giving students the opportunity to practice conversation at the same time providing an activity in the classroom that can be engaging.

Do we have to entertain? No, but who wants a boring class?

Jeff Combe

Lesson plans and behavior

Hello everyone,

It's hard to separate the difference between general classroom management and pedagogy. There is a broad, gray line in which your students' behavior is a constantly fluctuating variation of how well you enforce your rules, how well you teach your class, and how well you manage your time.

After the first few weeks of school, you would normally expect your students to be in a routine that helps them behave and function easily in the classroom. If by now they aren't, you may find the reason in your planning.

There are exceptions that affect this benchmark. If you are in special ed. classes, or if you took over mid-semester, or if your students have very poor reading skills, they may take more time than the first few weeks of school. Still, the idea that your students behavior should be fixed the way you want by mid-October is a useful one to consider.

Now that we are partway into the semester, all things being normal and customary, if your students are misbehaving, you ought to look to your lesson plans for part of the reason.

This is a difficult thing to do, and you may be working on it for the next two years, but you must consider it very seriously.

Is your class rigorous enough? If it isn't, students will finish their work quickly and misbehave.

Is your class too hard? If it is, students will give up and misbehave.

Do you have long transitions between activities? If so, your students will get bored and misbehave.

Do you talk too much; is your language incomprehensible; is your scaffolding inadequate; are you condescending; is your material more appropriate for a different age group? If so, your end is predictable.

To a large extent, managing your students' behavior should be done by managing your instruction. That begins with carefully planned lessons that are tied to carefully planned units.

In the beginning of your career, you may need to plan your lessons out completely, like scripts, from the opening bell to the closing, complete with everything you will say, time limits for each activity, and planned alternate activities if you find that your timing estimate is off. Of course, you should be ready to alter the lesson on the spot if the opportunity provides for a clearer presentation, and you will likely want to alter the script a little as you go through each class, but your original plan must be detailed and specific. (Later in your career, you will know the script well, so you will be able to work from a general outline, or even brief notes. But at first, you must be detailed.)

If you find yourself, in November, going home every day saying how awful the kids are, what criminals you teach, or how unwilling they are to do anything, look first to your lesson plans. Then call their homes after school.

Jeff Combe

Classical conditioning

Hello everyone,

At the risk of sounding crass, I'd like to talk about classical conditioning.

Yes, I mean that our students can be conditioned, and the same sorts of things Pavlov did with his dogs, we do with students.

For example, if, this late in the semester, your students misbehave, it's because you've conditioned them to do so. If they sit silently, you have conditioned them. Ditto, if they do their work, do not do their work, work their hardest, sleep in class, use their cell phones, listen to ipods, participate in discussions, show respect, and so on. (I'm speaking generally, not necessarily specifically.)

In other words, it's very much a part of what teachers do.

Classical conditioning is easy to understand in principle: Encourage behavior with rewards; discourage behavior with negative consequences.

You remember the original experiment: Pavlov rang a bell and furnished food; the dogs salivated at the food. Later, when he rang the bell, the dogs salivated, even without the food.

He conditioned the dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell.

Look at your students when the school bell rings (I can't resist this obvious transition). What are they doing? The real answer is, they are doing exactly what you have conditioned them to do. If you like what they do when the bell rings, then you're in a good position. If you are not pleased with what happens, then you must look to the way you have rewarded them for that behavior. If you want them to change, you must re-condition them.

Don't take this idea in any way other than the most innocent: we owe it to our students to help them learn to behave like professional adults in certain situations. Most of them will be professional adults in only a few years.

So let's talk practically.

There are a few things that I was taught about Pavlovian conditioning that I think are worth remembering when you are trying to affect the behavior of your students.

At the beginning, Pavlov discovered that rewards or punishments must be immediate and constant. This is important so that the reward or the punishment may be immediately associated with the behavior you intend to change. Over time, for positive behavior, the reward must be intermittent if you want the student to behave independently of the reward. If you condition your students to do things only for an immediate reward, they may become virtually incapable of performing without rewards. They need to be taught to function independent of rewards--eventually. If you do not have any system of immediate consequences, you will condition them to seek the easiest way.

Of course, human beings are incredibly complex, and the system of rewards and punishments must be appropriate to the complexities of the individuals you're working with, as well as the culture we teach in.

You must learn to understand what they consider to be both positive and negative consequences. Giving a fail to a student, or sending the student to the deans may be considered positive experiences to some students. A spirited classroom debate may be negative. (For most teachers, the memory of a fail or being sent to the deans is incredibly negative, and a classroom debate is positive. What rewarded you or threatened you when you were a student may not necessarily be the same stimuli with your students.) Phone calls home, praise, and criticism are likewise ambiguous under some circumstances.

If you have conditioned the kids into wrong behavior this late in the first semester, all is not lost, but you must look more carefully, and you must be more specific in your system of rewards and punishments (the word "punishment" makes me squirm uncomfortably, but no other works in this case that I can think of). I still think that the phone call home is the best tool to achieve behavioral change, either positively (viz, get them to do something) or negatively (viz, get them to stop doing something).

Be careful of the power you wield, but don't be afraid to use it. By all means, condition them to do good.

Jeff Combe

"That's boring"

Hello everyone,

I hate it when my students say I'm boring. I hate it when they use any of the variations of that: "I'm bored," "This is boring," "This is bored [from LEP students occasionally]," "I hate this subject."

Apart from the feelings of being personally assaulted, there is always the confusion of just exactly what the students mean when they say it. Are they tired? Do they know the subject already? Do they lack the cognitive ability to understand abstract concepts? Do they lack the background information necessary to understand the material? Am I using enough vocal variety? Am I varying the activities enough? Do they have ADHD? Do they have ADD? Are they addicted to video games or porn? Do they have distracting problems at home? Is my lesson plan confusing? Are they angry at me for something, and are they trying to get back at me by saying the one thing I hate the most? Is the subject boring? Is the subject too easy? Is the subject too hard?

You can't treat the subject of student boredom as a disease when it is really a symptom of a multitude of possible diseases. You also can't ignore that you might be the disease. (That hurts.) Nor can you ignore the symptoms, whatever the disease is. If a student is bored, then something is going on that you need to consider correcting if you can.

You must use formative assessments to find the reason. I suggest starting with the most common problems: the subject is too easy or too hard. A dialog in an English class might go like this:
STUDENT: I'm bored.
TEACHER: (strongly resisting the urge to say something sarcastic) I'm sorry. Did you finish reading?
STUDENT: Yeah, a long time ago.
TEACHER: What did you think of [insert a passage].
STUDENT: It's stupid because [student gives a response that shows understanding].

It's likely the material was too easy for the student. If the rest of the class is behind, let the student either be bored or work on something else. It might be very useful to have the student tutor others, after praising the student's abilities:

TEACHER: Wow, I can see why you're bored. This is too easy for you. Listen, would you be willing to help the others?

An alternate conversation could go like this, picking up after, "Did you finish reading?"
STUDENT: I hate reading.
TEACHER: I'm sorry. Did you finish?
STUDENT: Pretty much.
TEACHER: What did you think of [insert a passage].
STUDENT: [Cannot answer coherently or tries a distracting strategy.]

If the rest of the class is showing the same symptoms, you've likely chosen something that is too difficult for the level of independent study you have them working on. Take them back to guided group practice. (You may have to read aloud and explain as you go along, which will bore some of them, but will provide the needed background.)

If you're teaching grammar and a student says, "This is boring," you don't need to do any formative assessment. Grammar really is boring. You may find it more successful if you break it up into smaller chunks or use games to teach it. I would explain that I understood that it could be boring, but it was necessary.

If you find that the student has personal problems, such as a learning or behavioral disability, family problems, lack of sleep, or a drug problem, then the boredom is just a symptom of something you need to get help with to deal with.

If you find that your vocal patterns are boring, then change your vocal patterns. (Avoid droning; beware of digressions; watch out for repeating yourself; shun "uh.") If your lesson plans are disorganized, organize them. If you're teaching to one modality, vary your teaching (bring something in for the visual and kinesthetic learners, for example).

Above all, don't take it personally. Even if it's personal.

Jeff Combe

Taking attendance and more on middle school

Hello everyone,

I'm dividing today's email into two parts: first, I'd like to talk about managing attendance; second, I'll address an email I received about middle school teaching.

PART ONE

There are a few things with taking attendance that you must keep in mind, and a few things that you may keep in mind. Believe it or not, the way you take attendance has a subtle but profound effect on student behavior.

IMPORTANT: Do not allow students to return to class with uncleared absences. Make sure that all your students go to the attendance office and clear all absences before they come to your class. ISIS will tell you if students have uncleared absences.

TAKE ROLL SILENTLY. Avoid taking class time to call out student names every day. Taking roll should normally take less than 30 seconds, not counting the time it takes to enter marks in ISIS.

USE A SEATING CHART. Require your students to sit in the same seat daily, and take attendance by looking for empty seats during the warm up. To mark absences, all you have to do is mark the empty seats. If you currently don't do it this way, you might want to take a week or so of announcing absences--"The following people have been marked absent"--and waiting for the occasional protest--"I"m not absent!" Simply ensure that the protesting student is sitting in the correct seat, apologize, and move on. (Hint: If students are chronically out of their assigned seats, marking them absent in this way helps to create accountability for staying seated.)

You should also use the seating chart to facilitate memorizing student names, ensure equity in student/teacher interaction, and managing misbehavior.

BE STRICT ABOUT TARDIES. There should be a consequence for every tardy, even if it's a small consequence. With middle school students, you may need to be explicit: "You must be in your seat when the bell is finished ringing or you are tardy," or "You must be inside the room when the bell rings," or "You must be starting the warm up," or whatever fits your situation the best, so long as you aren't lax about it.


PART TWO
I received the following email, which I have excerpted, in response to yesterday's email addressing middle school. My comments are in CAPS:

"...At high school ... the complaints I hear from students arise when teachers are not fair and tend to rely on curriculum to provide discipline."

MANAGING A CLASSROOM IS ALSO MANAGING CONTENT, BUT CONTENT SHOULD NEVER BE USED AS A FORM OF PUNISHMENT UNLESS YOU WANT TO TRAIN YOUR STUDENTS TO HATE YOUR CONTENT. IF YOU HAVE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN YOUR CLASSROOM, IT OFTEN MEANS THAT YOUR

"Contrary to many teacher¹s beliefs math/science/history (insert subject here) [may] not [be] a student's favorite subject and it takes a dynamic, engaging teacher to make a subject interesting when the initial excitement is not there."

TRUE.

"Having taught/worked at all levels including adult professional development
I would say hands down the best teachers can be found in middle schools. I
think the best content experts are at high school, the best personalizers
are in elem.."

BEFORE ANYONE GETS OFFENDED BY THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY WHAT I THINK IS MEANT HERE.

MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORKING IN INTERMEDIATE CONTENT LEVELS, AND GOOD PEDAGOGY IS OFTEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN UNDERSTANDING THE HIGHER LEVELS OF CONTENT. MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE USUALLY AS EXPERT AS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS AND COLLEGE PROFESSORS IN THEIR CONTENT AREAS, BUT THEY MUST SACRIFICE THE UPPER LEVELS OF CONTENT TO PREPARE THEIR CHARGES TO RECEIVE THAT CONTENT LATER.

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS MUST PREPARE THEIR STUDENTS FOR THE DEMANDING LACK OF PEDAGOGY THAT IS OFTEN FOUND IN COLLEGE COURSES, AND THERE ARE HIGH LEVELS ON CONTENT PROFICIENCY THAT HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE REQUIRED TO DELIVER. THE PROPER BALANCE BETWEEN PEDAGOGY AND CONTENT IS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN.

"The question is: how do we ... teachers that have a great passion for the content ... [enable] all students, both those passionate about their subject and not so passionate, to appreciate the subject and find something that is interesting to them?

AND THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS NOT A QUESTION THAT CAN BE ANSWERED EASILY. IT COMBINES THE INMUTABLE IDEA THAT TEACHERS MUST MOTIVATE AS WELL AS TEACH WITH THE IDEA THAT THERE IS A LARGE BAG OF TRICKS (LOOSELY CALLED "SCAFFOLDING") THAT HELPS. OVER TIME, WE'LL COVER BOTH.

Jeff Combe

Middle school

Hello everyone,

If you will forgive me, I would like to focus a little on the problems of teaching middle school.

Rather, I should say, PROBLEM.

The overwhelming problem of teaching middle school is managing the classroom. Middle school students are very unforgiving of teachers who don't manage the classroom efficiently. I could phrase that previous sentence to read, "Middle school students punish teachers who don't rule with an iron hand," and not be far from the truth.

At the same time, middle school students are savvy enough to know that teachers have weaknesses; they will look for those weaknesses and exploit them, especially if they a tendency toward leniency. They will tell you to your face that you're mean; they will beg you not to give them consequences; they will smile at or flirt with you; they will throw temper tantrums. In short, they will use the full repertoire of all the techniques they perfected in childhood to get what they want, and they will rarely give in until they either get it, or they learn that you're serious.

The secret, then, is to show them that you're serious. Follow up on consequences; don't defer consequences; make sure they don't escape consequences. NEVER be cruel; ALWAYS be firm; ALWAYS follow up; NEVER lose your cool.

Remember that the most effective thing is to use the parents. Invite the parents to come to your class. For a particularly badly-behaved student, require the parents to come and observe. (Make sure you're not absent on the day they come.)

Don't use the deans as punishment. It's ineffective to use them as punishment. Use the deans to keep students who are suspended from your classroom for exceptionally disruptive or egregious behavior; send students to the deans that are on contracts; send students whose parents will not cooperate. Don't send students for minor offenses, and don't threaten students with the deans. For your worst behaved students (often your least skilled students), the deans' office is more of a reward than a punishment. (Having the child's mother come to class and sit next to him/her until he/she behaves--THAT is punishment. It's also a good, reasonable, logical consequence.)

Your regular attendance is important as well. Every day you have a substitute will cost you a day or more of restoring order. It's not the sub's fault; it's just the nature of middle school behavior.

NOW, once you have order in the classroom and you begin to teach, you can begin to tap into the wonderful energy and spirit of early adolescents. They are terrific to work with; they are moldable; they are curious. They want boundaries (really), and they will appreciate you for setting them, even as they buck against them. What's more, they want to be taught, even as they insist that they know it all.

They're just like growing ponies. They're cute and lots of fun as soon as they stop kicking you. You must teach them to stop kicking, though.

Jeff Combe

More little things

Hello everyone,

I received the following email, which has made me think about a lot of "little things."

"A little thing that makes the world of difference when the kids can't be quiet: I remember that my kids don't talk too much because they're bad kids or because they're disrespecting me, but because they simply forget to focus. I know this because they say, 'Sorry, miss, I forgot.' Then they get focused again.

Plus, it's just more positive, and I don't need negativity in my life."

Personally, I frequently have to remind myself to be "more positive."

This represents a crucial idea in working with kids--that none are really bad. Yes, I know some of them occasionally do some really bad things, but the very worst of them are good in many ways.

You will all note from the email that the teacher in question does not permit the incorrect behavior--the behavior is corrected. But the conscious choice to think of the kids as people who simply need help to focus helps the teacher.

I found, when I was teaching 8th grade remedial reading, back in the 1980's, that I could play a little mind game that helped me a lot. Instead of thinking of my students as immature and illiterate adolescents, I thought of them as extremely mature children. It was a little switch from negative to positive that made all the difference in how I treated them.

These attitude adjustments are, I believe, healthy.

For example, I confess that there have been times that I have hated my job. The kids have behaved very badly, or pressures from on high have built up, or my pay has been incorrect, or (you fill in the blanks). A little switch from looking at the negatives of the job (they can't be denied sometimes) to the positives (they need to be sought out occasionally) does a world of good. Very often, I confess, at my darkest hour a student will come to me and tell me how I have helped in some way. It's amazing; thinking of the one student whom I've helped can pull me through the darkest periods. It's also amazing that there is such serendipity in the profession. Just when I need a boost, a student provides it. Of course, the boost might have been there all along, and all I did was change what I was looking for, which is part of my point here.

For those of you teaching middle school, there is a thin line between the positives and the negatives, and the perspective view is longer (the kids you inspire to go to college won't let you know for a while, for example), but you can find many ways to switch yourself from negative to positive if you consciously work at it.

It'll pay off. You don't need negativity in your life.

Jeff Combe

Stupid little things

Hello everyone,

Jeff Moreton, a compatriot at Garfield High School, and I were talking today about the sorts of things that were helpful when we first started teaching. Jeff called them the "stupid little things" that make a difference.

It's true that even the smallest thing can make a difference in the classroom. As we get older, we often forget the little things that help us keep control of a classroom or deliver instruction more effectively.

Jeff talked about that panicky feeling that you might have at the beginning of a day, and the question, "Oh no, what am I going to teach?" (This is assuming that your carefully laid plans have not worked out as you planned--not assuming that you neglected to plan and you're not ready at all.) Jeff said that it was helpful for him to consciously change the question from "What am I going to teach?" to "What are they going to learn?" For him, that slight attitude change made all the difference.

Little things.

I found that I could control my own attitude in a variety of ways that were helpful to my teaching, and when I struggled with teaching, it was often because I allowed my attitude to drift. If I blamed the awful students, or if I raged against the bureaucracy, or if I got angry over little things, it was usually because I had neglected to control the overall attitude. I don't mean to say that the kids aren't sometimes rotten, or the bureaucracy intransigent, or the world provoking. I just mean that allowing those things to affect the attitude made teaching harder and less enjoyable.

One little thing that you can never forget is to constantly evaluate your own practice. Make sure you do this in light of the students' learning. After you finish a lesson, ask yourself how it went: how was management? how well did the students understand? how interested were they? how excited are they to come back? how tired are you? Evaluate. Never stop reviewing and evaluating your own practice. Be ready to change when things aren't working, or when things are stale, or when you find a better way.

But never forget the basics; and never forget the little things that make a difference.

Jeff Combe

Homework

Hello everyone,

When I first started my career, I was taught that teachers should give 1/2 hour of homework per weeknight in the middle schools for academic subjects. I was later counseled to give 45 minutes of homework for high school students.

I looked before I gave any advice to you, and I find that the District no longer has a district-wide policy on the amount of homework; it is left to the individual schools. Still, I can't help but feel that two hours a night (middle school) or three hours a night (high school), Monday through Thursday, is not an unreasonable expectation to prepare kids for the rigors of college.

(Weekend homework was not always practical or desirable, though if you give your students an assignment on Monday, and you tell them it's due the next Monday, the vast majority of them will be working on it throughout Sunday, and will only have it done sometime after midnight that night.)

I judged the amount of time required to do homework based on how fast a typical C student was able to work in my class. That meant that some students would take more, and others less time than my estimated amount.

I gave very little homework in my elective classes.

I have found a few truths about homework that are inescapable.

Homework makes a lousy assessment. Never use homework for an assessment; it's too easy for students to cheat, and you only end up assessing the student that everyone copies the homework from. Save your assessments for what can be done in your presence.

Our students generally will not read independently. In order to force the issue, you must hold them constantly responsible for whatever reading you have them do. If I assigned reading, I always had a quiz the next day, or I would require the students to pass the accelerated reader tests.

It is easy to hold students responsible for independent writing, but you must be careful of downloaded essays. If you know your students' writing ability, it's easy to recognize when they are not working independently. Keep in mind that essays take time to correct, depending on their length.

If you give students a long time to finish something, they will almost invariably wait until the last minute and do the assignment quickly and sloppily. If you break the long assignment into smaller, gradable portions, you can help them avoid that pitfall. (Of course, each portion may be done in the waning moments before it's due, but at least some of the process is being preserved.)

Collect all homework, but don't correct it all. You might try some of these strategies: have the students correct it; correct it together as a class; or audit it like the IRS does your taxes (look at selections only); you might put a checkmark or "OK" if it's done, without giving detail on how well it was done; you might tell your students that you'll hand it back only if they individually request it at the end of class, saving yourself the mountains of papers you have to pass back.

Always carefully grade major assignments that were completed as homework, and always hand them back.

Always hold students accountable for homework, but be careful that you're not turning into the homework policeman. Have the parents police it. Set up procedures, if necessary, that require parent involvement (like having the parents sign a homework check), as long as those procedures don't overwhelm you with paperwork.

Homework must be easy enough that the students can do it independently, but never simply busywork. Make it meaningful practice, but keep in mind that they won't practice it if it's beyond their abilities.

Jeff Combe