Nashville’s Leading Teacher Lifestyle Magazine
City Educators
TABLE OF
City Educators President/Publisher Michael Thompson
Feature
May 2011
4 Technology
Dr. Karen Lea on combining classroom and online activities.
6
Everyday
Cheryl Jolley received an award from TNTESOL
12 Character Education
Leah C. Tolbert explains the benefits of teaching Character.
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13 Teaching: A Collegial Career
Editorial Contributors Dr. Karen Lea Dr. Nina Jones Morel Deborah Thompson Michael Thompson Leah C. Tolbert
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Race to the Top Anniversary celebrated at Stratford High.
11 Professional Growth
Harpeth Hall School offers Get answers to 8 FAQs about the new opportunities to learn how tenure law for Tennessee teachers. to integrates technology.
Advertising Sales Lori Dreiling (615) 512-9641
CITY EDUCATORS is published bi-monthly (Aug/Sep, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/Jul) by Michael David Media, Michael Thompson, Owner. Post Office Box 2513, Brentwood, Tennessee 37024, (615) 832-5388. DISTRIBUTION: Free subscription to qualified recipients. See Website for additional distribution information. All rights are strictly reserved, and reproduction in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher. CITY EDUCATORS is funded privately and is not affiliated with--nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of--the local school district, education associations, its advertisers, or any other entity. CITY EDUCATORS is printed in the USA. Web address: http://www.michaeldavidmedia.com. Copyright © 2010 Michael David Media.
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Dr. Nina Jones Morel discusses congenial schools versus collegial schools.
10 Race to the Top
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Vice President Deborah Thompson
in the 2011-2012 School Year
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City Educators
Technology
What's a Hybrid? At first thought, we think “DUH, a car!” Right! But when we talk education, what's a hybrid? It is similar to a hybrid car.
What’s A BY KAREN LEA, PH.D.
Hybrid?
Professor of Education, Trevecca Nazarene University
It brings you the best of two worlds. What worlds? We are talking about the worlds of learning in a classroom and learning online; the worlds of being a visual learner and being an auditory learner; the worlds of meeting together to discuss and having time to formulate 4
CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE
May 20111
responses in a discussion. Think about taking a course that combines the best of those worlds. Think about how you can give your students the best of both worlds.
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onsider how you would teach any grade level, any subject area, combining classroom activities with online activities. Mathematics: many online, free games and programs allow students to practice solving mathematical problems
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in a game-type environment. Combine this with hands-on classroom instruction and you are teaching a type of hybrid course. Science: many videos on the Internet and programs that allow students to explore rainforests and dissect frogs. Combine this with classroom instruction and you are teaching a type of hybrid course. History: many reliable Internet sites contain primary documents. What if students read the infor mation, and then classroom time focused on understanding and applying that knowledge?
my “commercial message.” Come to Trevecca, and experience a hybrid course on our Claroline platform. Sign up through our post-baccalaureate coordinator and take one of our spring semester or summer hybrid courses. Or, apply for our doctoral program which includes some hybrid courses. Experience this type of learning as a student, experience the Claroline platform. Then you will be better equipped to teach a hybrid course. Is there just one way to develop and teach hybrid courses? No. But why not experience it for yourself ?
Consider how you would teach any grade level, any subject area, combining classroom activities with online activities.
What about students who do not have access to the Internet? Allow lab time in the school for these students. Most students will probably tell you they prefer to read on the computer than a textbook, prefer to work on games for mathematics skills, and enjoy exploring scientific sites. Let's use that preference. Most students would probably tell you they would prefer to listen to a videotape or podcast of a lecture than listen in class. One of my students told me “I enjoyed class because I didn't have to come and hear you blah, blah, blah. That was online and I could read it or listen to it as many times as I wanted to learn and as fast or slow as I wanted. When we came to class it was hands-on and fun!” Wow, a student said class was fun! As a teacher, do I really want to just let students explore the Internet? Probably not. So, let's structure the hybrid course. Consider free platforms such as Moodle and Claroline. Teachers can download the platform and create a hybrid course to use in their courses. Not sure where to start? Here is
CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE
May 2011
5
City Educators
Everyday
TNTESOL Award to Cheryl Jolley Metro Schools International Newcomers Academy teacher Cheryl Jolley has been named Tennessee Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TNTESOL) Teacher of the Year. This title was bestowed upon Jolley during the TNTESOL annual conference in March.
“I am humbled and honored to be named TNTESOL’s Teacher of the Year and recognizing the work that goes into to being an EL teacher,” said Jolley. “Working with the International Newcomers Academy (INA), where
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most of the students are refugees, is very rewarding. I teach each student a comprehensive prog ram which develops English and academic skills while addressing social and cultural adjustments at the same time.”
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The organization articulates and advances i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f I N A s i n c e i t s standards for professional preparation and opening in 2007. employment, continuing education, and student programs. It also connects groups worldwide to enhance communication “I consider it a privilege to work with among language specialists and advancing in such an incredible group of students who the profession. inspire me daily by their courage and Jolley has 22 years of willingness to learn,” says Jolley. teaching under her belt. “I consider it a She began her career in The TNTESOL develops the Florida, where she taught privilege to work with expertise of its members and high school history. She such an incredible others involved in teaching l a t e r m o ve d t o group of students...” English to speakers of other Metropolitan Nashville languages to help them foster Public Schools and taught middle school social studies for before effective communication in diverse moving to the EL department 10 years ago. settings while respecting individuals' Jolley has worked thoroughly throughout language rights. the EL depar tment, with the design and
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May 2011
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8 FAQs Abo Chapter 70 of the public acts of 2011 made significant revisions to the laws regarding tenure for public school teachers in Tennessee. The following are frequently asked questions and answers regarding the new tenure law: How does the new law impact teachers who already have tenure? While teachers who currently have tenure may not lose their tenure status based on the language in Public Chapter 70 that states, “no teacher who acquired tenure status prior to July 1, 2011, shall be returned to probationary status,” the amended definition of inefficiency would apply to tenured teachers who are dismissed after July 1, 2011, the effective date of the new law. The prior law contained causes for which a tenured teacher could be dismissed along with the required due process procedures to be followed. Public Chapter 70 redefines the cause of inefficiency by adding that the definition of inefficiency includes, but is not limited to, “having evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level that is “below expectations” or “significantly below expectations” as provided in the evaluation guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-1-302.” What about teachers who have not been granted tenure? How do they become eligible for tenure? Effective July 1, 2011, teachers shall meet the following requirements prior to becoming eligible for tenure status: (1) Served five (5) school years or not less than forty-five (45) months within a seven-year period as a probationary teacher; and (2) Received evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations” provided by the evaluation guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-1-302, during the last two (2) years of the teacher's probationary period. Can a teacher be rehired after 5 years if they do not receive tenure? Yes. The law states that once a teacher is eligible for tenure, “the teacher shall be either recommended by the director of schools for tenure or nonrenewed; provided, however, that the teacher cannot be continued in employment if tenure is not granted by the board of education.” However, under the provisions of the new law, a teacher is not eligible for tenure
out the New Tenure Law unless the teacher has served a five year probationary period and has received evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations” provided by the evaluation guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-1-302, during the last two (2) years of their probationary period. Therefore, a teacher may continue teaching on a year-to-year contract as a probationary teacher until the teacher is eligible for tenure. This could be indefinitely if the teacher never meets all of the new eligibility requirements. The new law is no different from the prior law in that once a teacher meets the eligibility criteria for tenure, a decision to grant tenure or nonrenew the teacher's contract must be made.
No. As stated above in question 1, pursuant to Public Chapter 70, no teacher who acquired tenure status prior to July 1, 2011, shall be returned to probationary status. Can teachers who receive tenure after July 1, 2011, lose tenure status? Yes. Any teacher who, after acquiring tenure status, receives two (2) consecutive years of evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “below expectations” or “significantly below expectations”, as provided by the evaluation guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-1-302, shall be returned to probationary status by the director of schools until the teacher has received two (2) consecutive years of evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations”. Can a teacher who loses tenure status due to poor evaluations ever regain tenure? Yes. When a teacher who has returned to probationary status receives two (2) consecutive years of evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations”, the teacher is again eligible for tenure and shall be either recommended by the director of schools for tenure or nonrenewed; provided, however, that the teacher cannot be continued in employment if tenure is not granted by the board of education. What happens to a teacher's tenure status if the teacher resigns in good standing and returns to the local education agency (LEA) at a later date? Effective, July 1, 2011, a teacher who has attained tenure status in an LEA, whether that was before July 1, 2011 or after, and later resigns from the LEA shall serve a two-year probationary period upon reemployment by the LEA, unless the probationary period is waived by the board of education upon request of the director of schools. Upon completion of the two-year probationary period, the teacher shall be eligible for tenure and shall be either recommended by the director of schools for tenure or nonrenewed; provided, however, that the teacher cannot be continued in employment if tenure is not granted by the board of education.
When are teachers who have currently served only 1 or 2 years of their probationary period eligible for tenure? Teachers who have not attained tenure status prior to July 1, 2011, must meet the new eligibility requirements for tenure as listed above in question 1, which include the 5 year probationary period.
Public Chapter 70 presents a new way of viewing tenure. Effective July 1, 2011, the granting of tenure to a teacher becomes a way of identifying the most effective teachers to enable Tennessee to learn from their practices and replicate them across the state. Although the new law sets a higher bar for tenure eligibility, it allows more flexibility for school officials to assist teachers in improvement.
If a teacher receives tenure at the end of this school year, could the teacher be returned to probationary status by the director of schools?
For questions regarding the law, please contact Tennessee Department of Education General Counsel, Christy Ballard at 615.741.2921 or christy.ballard@tn.gov. CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE
May 2011
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TENNESSEE CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF RACE TO THE TOP
Anniversary
Race to the Top
Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam Celebrate Race to the Top Anniversary at Stratford High School Time flies when you are making progress. Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Education commemorated the first anniversary of Tennessee's Race to the Top win at an education roundtable discussion at the end of March.
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ey stakeholders in winning and executing Tennessee's First to the Top plan participated in the discussion by taking stock of the great progress Tennessee has made and recognizing the work yet to be done for the children of Tennessee. “Race to the Top has made Tennessee the focal point of education reform in the nation, and I am thankful to those who worked so hard for this incredible opportunity,” Haslam said. “After a year we are in a position to bring real reform to our schools, and I am very encouraged about where we are and where we are going.” Since being awarded upward of $501 million, the state and local school districts have begun executing a dramatic set of school reforms. At the heart of improving student achievement is a focus on three main student performance goals: young students' academic readiness, high school graduates' readiness for college and careers, and higher rates of graduates enrolling and succeeding in post-secondary education. The first year has been a combination of planning and successes, amongst these initiatives: Re-engineering Tennessee's accountability system, revamping tenure expectations in connection with a new teacher and principal evaluation system, and refocusing education opportunities through changes to charter school laws. Establishing and emphasizing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education across the state through the focus of the STEM Innovation Network.
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Renewing the focus on the classroom teacher and a more dedicated focus on encouraging student achievement. Building support and creating success for students through increased professional development opportunities for educators such as Value-Added Data Specialists, formative assessment practices training, and online course availability. Providing all with the feedback and support they need to succeed through increased engagement and communication. “We all understand that we are still near the starting point of this process, and as we go forward, it is our responsibility to make certain we are moving toward better outcomes for students,” Haslam said. “Tennessee's best long-term job growth strategy is to improve the education we offer Tennesseans and ensure they are prepared to compete in the 21st Century workforce.” One year ago, Tennessee was one of just two states selected to receive millions of dollars for education in the federal government's Race to the Top competition. Tennessee's First to the Top plan is built on the strong foundation and commitment of key stakeholders, including elected officials, teacher's union leaders, business leaders, and educators with the aggressive goal to improve teacher and principal evaluation, use data to inform instructional decisions, and turn around their lowest-performing schools. Tennessee's complete Race to the Top proposal and other First to the Top accomplishments are detailed on the Tennessee First to the Top website at www.tn.gov/firsttothetop. Also, join the First to the Top education conversation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TNFirsttotheTop or Facebook at www.facebook.com/TNFirsttotheTop. For more information, contact Amanda Maynord Anderson at (615) 532-7817 or Amanda.Anderson@tn.gov.
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Mixed Media Educators blend new teaching techniques to elevate the educational experience
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t The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, TN, educators are implementing new teaching strategies that enables learning to take place anywhere and any time. In reverse classrooms, students watch online interactive lectures for their homework and come to class ready for a more meaningful discussion or to work collaboratively on problems. In blended classrooms, students divide their time between traditional face-to-face learning and independent days that allow them to work online and outside of class. “Our teachers pioneering these teaching strategies demonstrate that in this period of history when young women encounter technology in so many areas of their lives, teaching and learning should be enhanced by available technology so that its use continues to be essential but transparent,” said Head of School Ann Teaff. Through the Harpeth Hall Center for Innovative Educators, area educators will have the opportunity to learn how to integrate technology in the classroom to enhance a student's learning experience. This summer, the Center will offer seven interactive, hands-on workshops for educators:
ŸWeb 2.0 for Literature Programs ŸShifting Gears: The Reverse Classroom ŸTech Tools for the 21st Century Math Teacher ŸThe Game of Life: Using Simulations to Teach Real Lessons ŸUsing Web 2.0 to Communicate, Collaborate, and Connect
ŸHolding Class on Snow Days! Ÿ21st Century Skills: Collaboration Information and courses descriptions can be found at www.harpethhall.org, click on Center for Innovative Educators. “We are in the midst of a profound cultural transformation on the same level as the one engendered by Gutenberg's printing press. Teenagers today live and interact in an environment that is dominated by online digital media. School is fast becoming a mere interruption in their "real lives", which includes social media, interactive gaming, and on-demand entertainment. Teachers can no longer rely on the old techniques that are based on assembly-line production methods,” said Tad Wert, Chair of Harpeth Hall's Math Department and a Center instructor. “Web 2.0 tools have opened up the door to unlimited possibilities for both students and instructors. The future of education will include individualized learning, asynchronous long-distance collaboration, and ondemand information. You can learn how to use these tools by participating in one or more workshops offered by Har peth Hall's Center for Innovative Educators. Get a head start on the future today.”
Character First This Is the Key to Success BY LEAH C. TOLBERT
“How in the world did you get him to walk in line with the rest of the group? Doesn't she talk to you disrespectfully like she does the rest of us? You mean he made what on the final exam?” Unfortunately, I get these types of questions from teachers all the time. There seems to be this assumption that teaching children to be responsible for their choices is less than possible these days.
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el ell, it is not! Teaching children respect an and responsibility is called Character Ed Education, and it has been around for years. So, why is it not as prevalent as it once was? Why do teachers seem to feel defeated as soon as students enter their classrooms? Have the children changed, or have we?
I suggest that we are the ones who have changed. We allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by expectations that have been placed on us as educators. We have become so focused on teaching the skills, preparing for assessments, and keeping our jobs that we have forgotten to roll up our sleeves and do what we know works- engaging children in the learning process for what it is, a process. So, how do we “take back” our classrooms and start reaching our students again? How do we teach Character without getting behind on teaching academic standards and skills? Here is Where We Start: We begin DAY ONE with setting HIGH EXPECTATIONS for every child. We let them know we care about their ability to succeed and that we believe in that ability. Then, we never back down from that belief. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Teaching: A Collegial Career
In the recent U.S. News and World Report column, Mortimer Zuckerman wrote, “A century ago, schools could be casual about hiring talent—for a simple reason. Educated women had virtually nowhere else to turn for work. In those days, most educated women did not work and those who did disproportionately entered teaching.
BY NINA JONES MOREL, ED.D. “In the 1950s, when our nation employed a million public school teachers, more than half of college-educated women became teachers. Today, when we have about 3.5 million teaching jobs, roughly only 15 percent of educated women become teachers.” (Jan. 14, 2011)
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s a third generation educator, I have observed this phenomenon in my own family. My grandmother was that rare college educated woman in 1929, and her options in rural Kentucky were limited to teaching. My mother graduated from college in 1958, and by that time she could have pioneered many professions, but she and the vast majority of her female classmates entered education or nursing. In contrast, by the time I graduated in 1984, my own professors discouraged me from entering the teaching profession and encouraged me to go into fields that had been closed to my grandmother. Despite that, I chose teaching, and have never regretted it.
Many teachers feel isolated and alone in their schools, and when one feels this way, it is easy to respond to the pressure with bitterness or despair. In my early years of teaching, I had my own parents to turn to for discussions about my craft when the job seemed daunting and lonely; not every teacher is so fortunate. Schools must become this professional “family” for teachers. Most schools have a congenial atmosphere where the staff are friendly and the discussion revolves around small talk while the real work is done independently. In these schools the social interaction is pleasant, but it is not collegial. A collegial school is one in which faculty conversations revolve around practice, craft, and student achievement, and where everyone is rooting for each other's success. This is the kind of school that can keep and attract the best and the brightest young teachers.
Many school districts are responding to this need by instituting mentoring, coaching, and professional learning communities Women today do have many more choices that give new and veteran teachers an than they did in 1911, but there are also more increased sense of support, collaboration educated and more diverse women and men and intellectual challenge within their A collegial school is one in which who have the opportunity to choose school buildings. Research shows that education as a career. Most people who make faculty conversations revolve around induction programs that include mentoring the choice for education do so for the same reasons I did--because of the intellectual p r a c t i c e , c r a f t , a n d s t u d e n t and coaching reduce the rate of teacher challenge, the opportunity to contribute to achievement, and where everyone is attrition and result in improved teacher effectiveness. Veteran teachers benefit as society, and the stability and respect that rooting for each other's success. well. Not only do they show greater comes with a career in teaching. implementation of new strategies and content when coached, but they also report greater satisfaction with However, there are also many reasons why young people who do their jobs, improved professional confidence, and better choose education decide to leave in the first few years. Foremost relationships with their peers. among these is a perceived lack of support from other teachers, administrators and parents. The pressures of an educational career Teaching is one of the most challenging professions one can are greater now than they were when my grandmother entered a onechoose. The university students who enter teaching should find room schoolhouse in Hazel, Kentucky. Standards are higher, tests are both the intellectual stimulation and the professional support and harder, teacher evaluations include teacher effect and school valuecollegiality that will sustain their enthusiasm through the added assessment statistics. Teachers today must exhibit expertise vicissitudes of change. Increased collegial interaction not only not only in their content, the standards, pedagogy, assessment, and provides the support teachers need to do their very best for children attitudes and values, but also diverse cultures, school law, today, but it might also make our profession more attractive for our instructional technology, and statistical analyses. All of this is set in own daughters and sons in the future. the context of intense economic pressure in a “flattening” world where globalization is forcing greater and greater competition with Portions of this column are based on Maximum Capacity: Developing An Instructional the world's largest countries of India and China (Friedman 2005). No Coaching Program by Nina J. Morel and Carla S. Cushman which will be published by one person can navigate these economic and educational changes Corwin in Winter, 2012. Dr. Morel is the Co-Director of M.Ed. Programs at Lipscomb University. alone (Morel and Cushman, in press).
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Next, we build a community of learners. A major part of teaching Character is that we allow them to participate in forming rules and guidelines. We let them know that they belong to this nurturing environment we are creating. T h e n , we m o d e l w h a t R E S P E C T a n d RESPONSIBILITY look like throughout the entire school. We work as a team of teachers to ensure that our classroom is not the only place in which students are expected to do their best. It is a s c h o o l w i d e v i s i o n w e u p h o l d d a i l y. CONSISTENCY is the key! We continue this approach by teaching with an interdisciplinary focus, engaging students in activities that prove relevant to their everyday lives. We step out of the textbooks and into real life application of academic standards our students will never forget. What are the benefits of this approach?
So, put the textbooks aside for a moment, and think through what it is you really want your students to learn. Sure, this may mean stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing a little more professional development than you may be used to, but your students will thank you. Their test scores will go up, the students will become responsibly engaged again, and you will get lifelong results. Leah C. Tolbert is the author of a new book, titled, Textbooks? Not yet--We Must Teach Character First! She is a fiery educator who believes in the power of a child's mind. She received her BA in Education from Lipscomb University and her M.Ed. in Administration from Te n n e s s e e S t a t e U n ive r s i t y. While teaching middle school, she received the Teacher of the Year award in Davidson County schools.
When they know that their actions have consequences, children do their best. They form a positive connection between themselves and their learning environment.
1. Students respond to what is relevant. When they know that their actions have consequences, children do their best. They form a positive connection between themselves and their learning environment.
2. As the teacher, you do not end up wasting time “teaching discipline� all day. When we set high expectations for student learning from day one, trying hard becomes the norm. They don't act out to get attention; success is the reward.
The book is new; the concepts are timeless! Textbooks? Not yet-We M u s t Te a c h Character First! can be ordered directly from the publisher at www.authorhouse.com. This is especially convenient for schools buying in bulk for professional growth purposes. It can also be found at all major book retailers. This book is in e-book format.
3. Teaching and learning become fun again! It is a process to get the results we want, but if we are willing to do what it takes on the front end, our students reap the benefits. 4. Assessment scores increase because students are able to focus more readily on what it is they are being asked to learn. They see the relevancy in their lives and want to incorporate learning into everything they do.
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