Core Task Project

I was invited to review the instructional shifts with graduate students in the Educational Leadership program at the University of Nevada, Reno. You can review what was shared by clicking on the linked documents below.

A part of the evening was also spent debriefing a video Dr. Dan Willingham who subtly explains the huge challenges facing building educators. It is worth reviewing the video and considering the “mental obstacles” of the teaching profession.

EL 703 PowerPoint

EL 703 Focus Questions

One of the biggest challenges being back in the classroom is not getting a full picture or the context for the instructional changes I am asked to make. Often, by the time the message has made it all the way back to my school, it has been modified, simplified and—regretfully in some situations—completed altered. Consequently, new initiatives feels disjointed, obligatory and poorly connected to other tasks and efforts. This is why it is helpful to find primary source material to more fully understand why we are being asked to do the things we are asked to do.

Listed below are three videos that are worth taking a look at. The first is of David Coleman, one of the architects of the Common Core and now the president of the College Board, explaining changes to the SAT. The second is of Dale Erquiaga, Chief Strategy Officer for Nevada and member of Chiefs for Change and the last is of Dr. Donald Bear, the Director of the Duffelmeyer Reading Improvement Clinic, describing the value of Word Study. Taken together, they help contextualize the policy and pedagogy we are asked to implement in our classrooms.

Dale Erquiaga: Former Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Dale Erquiaga reviews the legislation that was passed in the 2015 legislative session and expands on what informed each initiative. Viewers will have a much better feel for the coming changes including Read by Grade 3, new funding formulas, and anticipated work in 2017. Full video here.

David Coleman: “Assessment without opportunity is dead.” This is how Coleman begins his speech at the 2015 Schools for Tomorrow Conference. Coleman highlights how more than 50% of students in the bottom quartile of income and scoring in the top 10% on the SAT, will not apply for a highly selective university. Coleman sees this as building a “wall” of inequality and reforming SAT and providing equitable test preparation is part of the solution. You can watch the full video here.

Dr. Donald Bear: Although a lot of educators are being asked to implement Word Study or are being asked to extinguish the use of traditional spelling protocols, few understand why. Dr. Donald Bear provides the research and relevant activities to promote, vocabulary, phonics, and spelling through the use of Word Study.

It is worth noting that all of these videos can be accessed for free. This is especially important as educators continue to transition from traditional modalities of profession development to something more aligned to the 21^st Century.

If you look through the data for this blog as well as my companion site, 63000resources.com, a not so surprising trend emerges. Overwhelmingly, classroom materials are the most downloaded and clicked on links when compared to professional development resources, presentation items, and demonstration videos. Consequently, it seems pretty obvious to highlight one of the best resources available and explain how any educator—including those outside of Nevada—can use them to meet the expectations of the Common Core.

The Nevada History OUTs (Opening Up the Textbooks) are a teacher created resource that is free for download. Each OUT highlights an important part of Nevada history with an emphasis on students reading complex informational text and retrieving evidence to support claims. Moreover, the OUTs nurture historical thinking skills in which students see a single narrative—from the textbook—complicated, vivified, contested, and/or expanded. If you live outside of Nevada, there is plenty for you here with lessons on Westward Expansion, the Hoover Dam, and mining and taxation.

I have implemented three OUTs this year and what follows is why I am so enthusiastic. This includes

1. The OUTs are well matched to the Common Core and the Instructional Shifts. Specifically, each lessons has students working with complex text—often challenging primary resources—and its academic vocabulary. Students have to read, write and speak using evidence and as students move through each OUT they are building a coherent body of knowledge.
2. Students have to work cooperatively to build understanding and to gain full access to the texts. The OUTs highlight the value of academic discourse and fluidly align to the habits of annotating and Accountable Talk.
3. They are free.
4. They were vetted in classrooms before ultimately being shared online.
5. Students enjoy the challenging work. I switch between the OUTs, the Basal Alignment Project lessons, and Core Knowledge during my literacy block. The OUTs have proven to be a hit and you can see them in action at my classroom blog here and here.

You can see an overview video of what an OUT is and read more here. You can here watch Stanford professor Dr. Sam Wineburg explain how students learn history here.