Finding the Moving Cheese (A Tribute to Alabama and to Spencer Johnson)

I recently presented in a session at the MEGA Conference in Mobile, AL.  The title of this particular session was: "Achievement Services—Building Common Sense into Common Core.” (BTW - Great Group of Attendees! They were so patient and kind in spite of technical difficulties beyond my control.)  During this session I used the analogy of "Finding the Cheese," as portrayed in Spencer Johnson's famous book, Who Moved My Cheese, to that of "Finding the Common Core Cheese" as our current educational cheese, current Alabama State Standards and Testing, is quickly fading or getting moved. 

First of all, I'd like to say the "Alabama Cheese Mountain!" has been great!  We have many successes and celebrations that could be made throughout the state because of the accomplishments of our educators and students.  Far too few people ever talk about the great cheese mountain of success that we have put into place during the past several years under NCLB.  I had the privilege of working as a teacher and school improvement specialist in the state of Alabama when NCLB came to be.   I don't remember any of us being super excited about it.  But we did what we had to do to step up and show the world education was a priority among our educational professionals in this state even if we didn't always agree with the mandates (especially the 100% by 2014.)  I am so proud of all that has been accomplished in our state.

And just when we think we have conquered the "Cheese Mountain," we wake up one morning to find "SOMEONE MOVED OUR CHEESE!"  How could they!  How dare they!  (Sounding a little like Hem now!)  But yes, our beautiful cheese is gone.  We now have to Scurry (Pun Intended!) to find the new Cheese.  There is a lot of uncertainty in the maze as I talk with educational professionals across the country, and recently (like yesterday) across the State of Alabama.  But don't allow your fear of new cheese keep you Hemmed (Pun Intended!) in a corner of the maze with no Cheese!  Start Sniffing (Pun Intended) out today and make your way through the maze.  Enjoy the maze as you travel.  You will be amazed at all you discover when you allow the journey to teach you.  Not every maze is boring.  Some mazes are amazing. You just have to take the time to learn as you travel toward your new "Cheese!"

There are some powerful "Cheese Nuggets" that we can find along the way to the new mountain of Cheese.  Here are some of the "Cheese Nuggets" that I have observed on my 2-yr trip to the "NEW CHEESE!"

1. While it is natural to be skeptical of "NEW CHEESE" (ex. Common Core), we must realize that change is inevitable, and we do our children a great injustice when we refuse to move because of suspicion.   Even if the new cheese (i.e. Common Core) is not the best solution, it is a moving solution.  Our old cheese is not adequate, and staying with it will only make us weak and sickly while others are moving forward gaining strength from their perseverance.
2. We do not have to hunt the "NEW CHEESE" alone.  There are many states and teachers who have already jumped in the maze and begun discovering new things about Common Core.  I encourage you all to check out the work done in states like New York (EngageNY), and North Dakota (Complete Packets on ELA and Math), and Illinois (Informational Text Strategies) as well as other entities like The Charles Dana Center (aka CCSS Toolbox) (Sample Scope and Sequence as well as released assessment samples) and MARS.  There are many new sites becoming available daily.  LiveBinders.com (Search Common Core) has many resources compiled by educators from all over the country.  The nuggets are there for the taking.  Get them while they are available before someone moves the cheese!
3. Don't worry so much about doing the wrong thing that you do nothing.  We have all known for years that there are many variables in education.  It is difficult to pinpoint exactly which variable has the most positive (or negative for that matter) effect on student learning.  Just jump in the maze.  It will come to you.  The scent of the cheese will grow stronger as you move toward it.  You will know through your progress monitoring if what you are doing actually works.  
4. Don't wait around for the road map to the cheese!  It may take years for others to figure out what exactly it is that will be measured.  Just take the standards.  Unwrap - deconstruct - dissect - or whatever you choose to call it -  the standards today.  Look at the verb-noun (actually direct object) relationships!  Build your testing blueprints for your units.  Don't wait for someone to tell you exactly what to do.  Do what comes natural for you! Sniff it out! Scurry to it!  Haw until you get the right path! But whatever you do, DON'T say HEMMED up waiting for the cheese to fall back in your path! (Pun Definitely Intended!)

For those of you who may be a little bit uncertain of all the references to the PUNS!  I encourage you to read the book: Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson (1998).  His book can bring perspective to the methods in which we deal with change (like a new set of standards).  It certainly helped me relate in my life how I can decide to deal with my maze of moving cheese!

S. B. Odom, PhD

Authentic Assessment Assignment from Liberty University

Here is an activity that I completed while working on a Masters in Teaching and Learning from Liberty University.   This is an exercise on using Authentic Assessments.  We have heard quite a lot about Authentic Assessments since Common Core has been written.  While at Liberty, we were already engaging in creating more rigorous assessments than currently seen on high stakes assessments.  

In addition to creating Authentic Assessments, we were encouraged to develop interdisciplinary units that would flow seamlessly from one content to another.  This is done to help the students develop consistent thinking processes from content to content.  

The problem with Authentic Assessments is not creating them.  Rather it is developing the needed rubrics and scoring guides to assess students objectively.  Teachers need to calibrate their scoring methods to ensure all students are scored fairly and consistently.  

Authentic Assessments are powerful tools to provide evidence of student understanding and mastery.  I trust as we move further into the implementation of Common Core standards, we will all embrace the need to develop assessments that will provide students with opportunities to be challenged and to show they can rise to the challenges of a rigorous curriculum.  

Sarah

Love the Children - 2010

No matter what you teach them, just please love my kids...

Reminiscing!

As I sit here today thinking about my sons, especially Andrew since it is his birthday, I am reminded of how precious children are.  I don’t believe there is a mother on this earth that loves her children any more than I love mine.  Not saying they can’t love them the same as I love mine, but doubt anyone can love them more.  My family and I had a terrible accident in 1998, and Andrew (who was 9 at the time) was killed as a result of the accident.  Yes, we were devastated and changed forever. 

In one evening we went from the loud, yelling, and often screaming, rambunctious household with two boys (who were 16 months apart in age) to the single thudding sound of a lone child trying to make the goal with his basketball.  Yes, as providence would have it, Gideon (our youngest) went from the baby of the family to the only living child in a split second of time.  

Seriously, my husband and I probably broke every rule in the child-rearing department after Andrew’s death.  I know I spoiled Gideon.  I would have killed to protect him, and probably will still kill to protect him although he is almost 21, which brings me to the point of my blog.  Our children in America deserve protection. 

Love the kids!

I love children.  I firmly believe in protecting, training, and providing for them.  And regardless of whether it has been in my own home, church, or school, I have always been an advocate of children.  If you want to see me get upset (and I know there are those who may read this blog who may say, “we see that enough.”) then let me see a child who is neglected, abused, or hurt because of the actions of an adult. 

When I taught, I looked at every child as though he/she was my own.  That included discipline when I felt it was needed.   For a time, I was in a school district that allowed corporal punishment, and yes I had a paddle (actually several paddles).  They were useless in reality.  Kids would beg me to paddle them so they could sign THE BIG O.  A few years ago my principal at the time needed a paddle (teachers were no longer allowed to paddle at this time, yet I still had THE BIG O as a reminder of the old days).  He asked to borrow my paddle, so I let him.  He kept it for several months, and one night some of the students broke into the school.  Guess what was part of the stolen goods.  THE BIG O.  Wish I knew who had it.  I would love to have it back to remember all my students, because they all signed it whether they had ever been paddled or not. 

THE BIG O is a reminder to me that all kids want to be loved.  I had said many times to my students, “I discipline you because I love you.”  Well, that was important to them.  They wanted to be loved.  YES, even middle schoolers.  They wanted you to care.  If you don’t believe kids think deeply, just ask them to tell you what they think.  One time I used this to start the day with my kids (not everything in my class had to be about science).  I asked them to finish this old adage with their own “TRUE” ending: Sticks and stone may break my bones, but your words .... You would be so surprised to see how insightful middle school students can be.  I was amazed at the responses I got from them.  I have them filed away somewhere in a Word Doc.  One day I will publish them. 

It is my firm belief that all teachers should first love children, then their content areas.  And trust me, kids can spot a “fake” from a hundred miles away.  My students always knew those teachers who cared, and those who just taught for the job.  And they didn’t mind telling you.  They were quite observant.  They could tell you who was having a bad day; who they thought was flirting with another teacher; who was getting a divorce; which teachers hated each other.  If we could have just channeled all their observations into productive learning, what great minds would we have today.  I would like to think that we did in many ways. 

Enable learning!

Call me an enabler if you want, I hated to give a child a bad grade.  I would retest, give them an opportunity to correct their answers for partial credit, extend deadlines, and do whatever it took for them to learn in my class.  Why?  Because learning was the point, not punishment.  These are kids in TRAINING!  We often forget this.  We extend to children punishment and consequences that we ourselves try to get away from in life. 

Kids need advocates, and they need real people in their lives.  They do not need to see hypocrisy in adults.  Don’t penalize them for being late on assignments, when you are late for work every day.  Don’t penalize them for needing extra time on a test, when you ask for extensions on your bills or loans.  Don’t scold them for asking for a grade replacement when you enter into bankruptcy or reduced payments to pay off your obligations.  Be real to them. 

Be the example!

If you are going to set high expectations for your students (and I did this on a regular basis), set high expectations for yourself.  Don’t be mediocre and expect exceptionality from your students.  Don’t expect them to “wow” you on a paper when you bore them to tears with your staged, monotone lessons.  Model exceptionality for them, or don’t be surprised when you get status quo from them.  I believe kids are mirror images into the souls of the adults around them.  If you want better kids, be a better example. 

Students all across this great country need teachers who will rise up and take charge of their learning.  Do not expect society to provide the solutions; do not expect the government to provide the solutions (although their funding is nice); do not expect parents to provide the solutions.  You are the highly trained professional charged with invoking student learning.  DO YOUR JOB! And do it with dignity and honor. Take pride in the noblest profession on earth. 

Be the change agent!

Our society is fragile.  There are many, many issues which could lead to the destruction of our civilization.  One thing that can help change the destructive course of a civilization is KNOWLEDGE.  As teachers, you have the capability of imparting KNOWLEDGE to your students.  Yet, before they will listen to you, you must have their trust.  Build trust in your students.  Let them know you are an adult that they can count on.  Show them your weaknesses.  Ask them to help you with your weaknesses as you help them through theirs.  Be real to them.  Love them.  And provide them with the greatest opportunity in the world to be successful.  That’s all I ever asked from my son’s teachers.  That’s what I tried to give every parent’s child who became my students.  This is how we overcome the challenges in our schools today!

What Teachers Want - Written in 2008

What Teachers Want!!!

Much has been said about Mel Gibson lately.  Is his professional acting career over?  Well, I am sure he will always have a following.  My mind did go back to a movie from a few years back, What Women Want! (2000). If you didn’t see it, the storyline went something like this.  Mel (I don’t remember his movie character’s name) was struck by lightning one night, and the next day he began to hear what women thought.  As a result, he helped some women, lied to some women, and stole the thoughts of the one woman so much smarter than he was, and on and on… Funny thing is that he almost lost his own mind trying to listen to what goes on in a woman’s head.  I could have told him that!  Men will never fully understand a woman’s thinking processes.  There really is no use in trying to get women all figured out.  “It ain’t gonna happen!”  We are too complex! or perhaps I should say “intricately designed!”

Anyway, I liked the title, and I got to thinking about teachers.  Since I am a coaching consultant for schools, I often get to tell teachers what I think should be done or shouldn’t be done to improve student learning.  However, after spending 20 consecutive days with teachers this past spring, I got to thinking about a remarkable idea.  I wonder if anyone ever asks the teachers what they want.  What do they want for their students?  What do they want for their own professional dreams?  What do they want from the community?  What do they want from folks like me who think they know the answers to complicated dynamics found in their classrooms?  Okay, so, you know I think I have the answers, right?  Of course you know I do, or else why would I write about it?  There are several things I believe teachers want, and yes, I am going to eventually share them with you.

1. Teachers want to be treated as the professionals they were trained to be!  (Oh my, it is time for the S.B. Odom Soapbox Speech of the night!).  Seriously, think about it.  Teachers spend at least 3 ½ to 4 years learning how to teach and the content needed to deliver to students.  Most in today’s society continue to educate themselves through a graduate program which is typically 18 months to 2 years in length.  Wait a second!  That is a grand total of 5 to 7 years of post secondary training.  AND the typical Medical Degree takes how long!?!  When is the last time we walked into the medical doctor’s office and questioned, “Are you highly qualified to make this diagnosis?  When did you have your last board test?  What is the level of proficiency in your medical professional treatments of your patients? How many of your patients have died in the last year?  How many unsuccessful patients did you treat?  Where is the lab work from their tests? What did you do about the lab work?  What interventions did you provide?  Did you make all your patients take the same medications regardless of their different body chemistries?”  Yeah, I think you get the picture. 

I believe instead of pointing an accusing finger at the most noble profession in America, we need to ask, “What can I do to help you?”  I believe we should help them develop a network to tap into the greatest intellectual “think tank” in the world.  Do we dare be so audacious to think teachers cannot provide viable solutions to the educational problems today?  What I think teachers want is for someone to say, “Tell me what you are experiencing in your classroom. Give me examples of the specific challenges you face, and let me see if I can help you find solutions. Let me hear what you are saying first, before I make suggestions or tell you what you need to do.”

2.  Teachers want to be able to do what they are trained to do – TEACH! So when did we allow the “main thing” to no longer be the “main thing?” Teachers love to train children.  Why else would they submit themselves to the scrutiny of the public all year?  They want to do a great job.  However, the target is forever moving.  Would somebody please stop moving the target?  Or, if the target just has to move, can we at least provide the teachers with the target practice they need to be successful?  I often find when someone takes the time to help teachers decipher all the mandates of the state departments of education, they look at you and say, “THANK YOU! For the first time in my teaching career, this finally makes sense!”

I fully believe the reason teachers have become so dependent on textbooks is because we stripped them of their ability to lead, and told them they must follow the proven path (Not quite sure who proved it, but let’s follow it anyway! After all, Texas and California are doing it.)  I have great respect for men and women who dedicate themselves to the calling of providing children with information they can translate into knowledge.  However, I do not believe there is a textbook in print that can adequately teach any child everything he/she needs to know about a subject or course content area.  And I believe when we follow recipes for education (textbook-driven recipes), we should not be surprised when we get status quo students (You know, like the store-bought cake mixes versus the home-made cake that is better than…Well, you know!).  If we want the free thinking that made America what it is today, we need to get off the brakes and allow teachers to take hold of the throttle. 

And finally (for tonight)

3.  Teachers want the ability to cleanse their profession of quacks and naysayers! Had so many ineffective, non-productive people not been allowed to hide behind laws, such as tenure, the teaching profession would not be suffering the way it is today.  True teachers, with passion and purpose, do not need to be driven: they are more capable of driving the educational system than anyone alive.  If our government would fund excellence, cut non-productivity, and reward men and women who live to teach, the public educational system in America would not have to have legislation like NCLB overseeing its every move.  When is enough going to be enough?  I believe not until the passion-driven educators in this country stand up and say, “ENOUGH!” will we see a true watershed in American Education. 

Once the quacks are gone, educators can then restructure American Education to meet the needs of the American people.  We need a system which makes us global, specialized, differentiated, and competitive.  We do not need drones.  We need diversity!  We need skills!  I think about the building of Solomon’s Temple (about 1000 BC, or 587 BCE).  Look at all the various people needed to build this magnificent temple: men to cut the great cedars; men to transport the cedars; carpenters; woodcarvers; cloth makers; dye experts; stone masons; architects; goldsmiths; bronze makers; and the list could go on for days.  So, my question is, “Are we preparing our children for the 21^st Century, or are we forcing them to remain in the past?”  What skills do children of the 21^st Century need?  Are we building a stone temple?  What is the next frontier?  What will the future hold in terms of knowledge and technology?  See, real bonafide teachers understand education must evolve with society.  They understand they must produce thinkers and doers for the civilization we all love so dearly to survive.  Yet, we inundate them with meaningless 2^nd century paperwork.  There are many people in today’s society who want to shuffle paper.  Hire them to do the paperwork!  Let teachers TEACH!

Conclusion to the Soapbox Speech

We all know public education has a myriad of problems.  It is a complex system with a utopian ideology in a pragmatic reality.  If we want our teachers to be successful, then we must provide them with the tools for success.  More importantly, we need to “hear” what they are saying to us.  Or perhaps they should just sit back and watch us speed headlong into Hades with all our legislation, stimulus funding for multiplied billions thrown to the wind without a plan, and oversized Band-Aids trying to hold back the existential meltdown of our educational system overseen by politicians and interest groups.  Eventually, perhaps, someone will remember why the teaching profession was important in the first place and will cry out for the noble giants to come to the rescue!  Maybe, just maybe, by that point, everyone else will step back, and let the educational professionals do their jobs!

Stepping down from the soapbox!

Until the next wave of passion explodes!

S.B. Odom

Walking Down Memory Lane

As I was taking a small virtual trip down memory lane today, I found some artifacts from my former life as a science teacher.  I used to write songs and plays for my students.  Here are just a few:

My Eye

(tune:  My Girl)

Written by:  Sarah Odom

January 3, 2002

Light enters my pupil so smooth.

It is controlled as my iris moves.

I guess you say, what can make me see this way?

My eye (my eye, my eye)

Talkin’ about my eye (my eye)

My retina sees you upside down.

And so much smaller; but don’t you frown.

I guess you say, what refracts light my way?

Cornea (cornea, cornea)
Talkin’ about cornea (cornea)

Hey!Hey!Hey!------- Hey!Hey!Hey!

Rods are nerves that like dark and light!

Cones make sure I get my colors right!

I guess you say, what keeps you near always?

My lens (my lens, my lens)

Talkin’ about my lens (my lens)

Nearsighted- I can’t see you far away!

Farsighted- Step back to make my day!

Talkin’ about my eye!

Lots of Matter

(Tune of Pretty Woman)

Lots of matter in you and me.

Lots of matter volume and density.

Lots of matter in all shapes or in all sizes.

Hardness, color, and odor leave no surprises.

Mercy

Lots of matter its mass does not change.

Lots of matter you might think it strange.

Lots of matter your weight can fluctuate, don’t blame

your mass on the altitude game.

Grrrr

Lots of matter – things just won’t stop

Lots of matter – hard to push them to the top

Lots of matter- inertia has its way

Lots of matter- pulled by gravity

Lots of matter- falling don’t you see.

Lots of matter- earth’s mass makes us stay

Volume is measured in units three:

Cubic centimeter, millimeter, or c.c.

Lots of matter, look at density

Is the crown gold, Archimedes?

         Put your body in

         Water level breaks

         Take your body out

         That gold crowns a fake

I guess the king is sad to say

That goldsmith has ruined his day!

         What have we learned today?

         Lots of matter comes our way!                          Written by:

         Mass and volume here to stay!                          Sarah Odom

         Woahh- Oh Lots of Matter! Eureka!                 08/21/00

 

The Blind Date!

Pearly Mae-  Oh no, What am I going to do?  I’ve got a friend who says she has me a blind date.  How do I date a blind boy?

Class- Pearly, A blind date doesn’t mean the boy’s blind.  It means he’s never seen you before.

Pearly Mae-  You mean he’s not blind.  Oh that’s great.  Well what will happen when he sees me for the first time.

1^st- Well, light will travel as waves from your body to his eye.  Doesn’t that sound neat?

Class-  do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

Pearly Mae-  OK so far so good, Then what?

2^nd-  His cornea,which protects his eye, will allow light to pass through.

3^rd-  The black part, called the pupil, will continue to pass the light on.

4^th-  His iris, the colored part, will determine if the light is too bright or too dim and make adjustments for allowing light in.  Don’t shine too brightly, Pearly!

Class- do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

Pearly-  You mean he sees me with those baby blues?

5^th-  That’s not exactly what we said. Listen closely!  Once the light passes through the pupil, it is refracted through a lens and it makes a real object on the back of his eye.

6^th-  Oh and Pearly, your real image is upside down on the back of his eye.

7^th- But the great part is that you’re smaller.

Class- do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

Pearly-  So his first impression of me is an upside down dwarf!

8^th-  Don’t jump to conclusions, Pearly.  The real image is projected on his retina, or the back surface of his eye.

9^th- If he is nearsighted- you might have to get a little closer for him to get a clear picture of you.

10^th-  Or if he asks you to step back, don’t assume you have bad breath!  He could be farsighted.

11^th-  Better yet, He could be wearing corrective lens so you won’t have to move at all.

Class- do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

Pearly-  Should I wear bright colors so he can see me?

12^th- Only if you want to really stand out.  His eyes have rods to determine light and dark. These nerve cells send signals of light and dark to the brain.

13^th-  Cones are nerve cells that determine color and send color signals to the brain.

14^th-  5% to 8% of all guys have trouble with their cones.  But love is completely blind, so don’t worry Pearly!

Class- do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

Pearly-  But what if he’s a real blind, blind date.

15^th-  Just wait for a reaction on his face when he sees you.

16^th- If he smiles- You go, girl!

17^th- If he frowns- Tell him you came to deliver a message from his date that she couldn’t make it because of the measles!

18^th- If you see no reaction-  Take it as a hint!

         You have a blind date!

Class- do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do

THE END!

Written by: Sarah Odom

January 3, 2002 

 

Rigorous Curriculum Design - Common Core State Standards

I have been working on a model for developing a curriculum using the Common Core State Standards.  Prior to reading the information found in Larry Ainsworth's book, "Rigorous Curriculum Design" (2011), I had been using a model that I thought best.  Basically, I had teachers analyze the standards first, then think about the units of study and pace them throughout the school year.  It worked fine, but there is a slight difference in Larry's design model.  I recently used his model with a group of teachers in IL.  I really liked it.  Larry has a 4-step process for building a rigorous curriculum.  Here is an outline of his model as I saw it:

Rigorous Curriculum Design

Model by Larry Ainsworth

4-Part Overview

I.      Seeing the “Big Picture” Connections FIRST

a.     What is Rigorous Curriculum Design?  “An inclusive set of intentionally aligned components – clear learning outcomes with matching assessments, engaging learning experiences, and instructional strategies – organized into sequenced units of study that serve as both a detailed road map and the high-quality deliver system for ensuring that all students achieve the desired end: the attainment of their designated grade- or course-specific standards within a particular content area.”

b.     Connecting Curriculum Design to the “Big Picture” (i.e. standards, assessments, instruction, and data practices.)

c.      Overview of Curriculum Design Sequence – Preview the step-by-step sequence, laying a strong curricular foundation, designing the actual curricular unites of study, and finally implementing the units in the classroom.

II.    Building the Foundation for Designing Curricular Units

a.     Prioritize the Standards  - assured competencies for next level of learning.

b.     Name Units of Study – Through these specific unites of study students will learn and be assessed on their understanding and application of the particular standards or learning outcomes.

c.      Assign the Standards – Assign learning standards to each of the Units of Study. 

d.     Pacing Calendar – calendar for implementing units of study before state assessments.

e.     Unit Planning Organizer – list of elements in curriculum plan

III.  Designing the Curricular Unit of Study

a.     Unwrap Standards

b.     Create a graphic organizer

c.      Big Ideas and Essential Questions

d.     Create End of Unit Assessment

e.     Create Unit Pre-assessment

f.      Vocabulary Terms, Interdisciplinary Connections, and 21^st Century Learning Skills

g.     Engaging Learning Experiences

h.     Instructional Resource Materials

i.       Effective Instruction, Differentiation, Intervention, Special Education, ELL Strategies

j.       Detail Unit Planning Organizer

k.     Create informal progress-monitoring checks

l.       Weekly and Daily Lesson plans

IV.   Implementing Units of Study

a.     Introduction of Unit

b.     Pre-Assessment

c.      Analyze Data

d.     Select Instructional Strategies

e.     Teach Unit

f.      Progress-Monitoring

g.     Differentiate Instruction based on Progress-Monitoring

h.     Mid-Unit Evaluation

i.       Continue Teaching

j.       Continue Modifying and Adjusting Instruction

k.     Administer End-of-Unit Assessment

l.       Analyze Student Data

m.   Enrich, Remediate, and Intervene

n.     Reflection

I really think this is a good solid model to use.  One of the differences in our approaches was that he doesn't have teachers "unwrap" the standards until they have already assigned them to units.  This makes sense as the teachers do not need to feel so overwhelmed with unwrapping all standards upfront.  They can do this effectively as they use them to develop the unit once it has been named.

I have developed a 2-day workshop on this model, although it takes at least a year to fully develop a curriculum such as this.  There are various stages of development, and I hope to be able to unfold the design in several workshops this year.

Any thoughts?