Dr. Cindy Crimmin

Class Assignments and Other Complex Puzzles

2011-05-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hard as it is to believe, as we enter May, we begin, again, the process of placing children for the coming school year. Children and adults alike are now comfortable with their current placements, enjoying the fruits of their hard work and looking forward to the summer rest. Yet, on the horizon, loom the uncertainties of a new school year, a different class, a new teacher, other friends and classmates and the thoughts of all the good in this year that might be lost. What parents, guardians and children may not realize is that teachers and administrators spend many hours making placement decisions. We consider all that we know of each child, each teacher's instructional style, the expectations of the curriculum at the new grade level and the make-up of the classes as a whole, before assigning children to class groups.

Each year in mid-May, the entire faculty meets to share what we know about our children. Grade level teams meet with the receiving team to discuss individual progress, to share hard-data and to consider the social and emotional needs of each student. The current teachers, who now know the children best in the context of the general classroom, and the support staff who work with them in smaller settings compare notes and come to conclusions regarding the best mix for learning. This process continues for several weeks, as we deliberate the details, using standardized test scores, formal and informal assessments, reading levels and teacher experiences with the children to guide us. By the end of the school year, we generally have a sense of the best groupings and are ready to assign teachers.

Most important in this process is the trust implicit in our planning. We hope that parents, guardians and children, trust our teachers to make carefully considered, wise decisions. While we understand the feeling that parents need a voice in selecting teachers and classes, we often see a different side of children here at school than they exhibit at home. Moreover, we have considerable data on which to base our decisions. After all, it is in creating good working groups for our classrooms that we ensure the overall happiness and success of our Cunniff Community.

Moving to Learn

2011-04-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Just prior to vacation, a former colleague shared with me a poem she uses with her Grade 2 students. She explained that she uses this poem to validate the wonder of being an active, happy youngster. As they talked, she sometimes noticed that the children had trouble thinking of ways their own shoes might describe their days. Not all children mentioned climbing trees, splashing in mud puddles, or chasing squirrels. When I ask children in our cafeteria to tell me about their own leisure time, certainly video games top the list of preferred activities. Both common sense and recent research into child development remind us that a balanced approach to activities is important for both health and for learning. Even during our class periods, good teachers know that students need to move to keep their minds engaged.

Many of our students, particularly our boys, could be classified as "kinesthetic learners," that is learners who remember what they DO, what they experience with their hands or bodies. They like to explore and discover by "playing" with resources. These children enjoy using tools or prefer lessons which involve active/practical participation. They can remember how to do things after they've done them once or twice. Many have good motor coordination and enjoy active, out-doors games. Historically, these might have been the children who did not find success in classes where they were asked to sit quietly for long stretches of time and where teachers shared information only by speaking or in writing. In order to better capitalize on the strengths of these kinesthetic learners, many teachers use instructional strategies that can be duplicated at home. Parents of these learners might suggest the following:

To memorize, pace or walk around while reciting to yourself or using flashcards or notes.
When reading a short story or chapter in a book, try a whole-to-part approach. This means you should first scan the pictures, then read headings, then read the first and last paragraphs and try to get a feel for the book. You could also try skim-reading the chapter or short story backwards, paragraph-by-paragraph.
If you need to fidget, try doing so in a way which will not disturb others or endanger yourself or others. Try jiggling your legs or feet, try hand/finger exercises, or handle a koosh ball, tennis ball or something similar.
You might not study best while at a desk. Try lying on your stomach or back. Try studying while sitting in a comfortable lounge chair or on cushions or a bean bag.
Studying with music in the background might suit you (baroque music is best - as opposed to heavily rhythm-based music).
Use colored construction paper to cover your desk or even decorate your area. Choose your favorite color as this will help you focus. This technique is called color grounding .
Try reading through colored transparencies to help focus your attention. Try a variety of colors to see which colors work best.
While studying, take frequent breaks, but be sure to settle back down to work quickly. A reasonable schedule would be 15-25 minutes of study, 3-5 minutes of break time.
When trying to memorize information, try closing your eyes and writing the information in the air or on a surface with your finger. Try to picture the words in your head as you are doing this. Try to hear the words in your head, too.
Later, when you try to remember this information, close your eyes and try to see it with your mind's eye and to hear it in your head.
When learning new information, make task cards, flashcards, computer games, card games, floor games, etc. This will help you process the information.

(From: http://www.pesdirect.com/lsitactile.html)

Most importantly, movement is a natural way for children to explore their world. Even children whose learning style allows them to find success in more traditional classroom environments need the stimulation and enjoyment that comes from more kinesthetic experiences. I have attached my friend's poem here in the hopes that parents might also use it to prompt conversations with their children. My friend certainly noticed that the conversation seemed to encourage the children to think about their own active play. As we develop busy, engaged minds, we do not want to forget that the importance of busy, active bodies. They may be adding more mud to our floors this spring, but perhaps it is worth it. This, too, is building 21st Century Skills and happy, productive futures for our children.

"If My Shoes Could Talk" by Karen McGuigan Brothers

If my shoes could talk

I guess they would say

they’ve done a lot

of things today.

They walked along

the garden wall;

they jumped and ran

to catch a ball,

They hopped and shuffled,

they danced and skipped,

they pedaled my bike,

they almost tripped!

They clung to my skateboard

through the sidewalks of town

and walked through a puddle

with mud all around.

If my shoes could talk

I know what they would say.

they’ve had a very

busy day!

Capitalizing on Vacation "Time"

2011-04-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Time. If there is one resource teachers never have enough of, it would be time: time to plan; time to meet; time to review with students; time to drill missing skills; time for information to take shape in young minds…time…time… time. In the array of uses for this resource, the first to go when time is at premium is the time to play with ideas, the time to explore, and the time for children to begin the process of making sense of what they encounter. The latter is often referred to as “making meaning.” True learning requires understanding, memory, practice and purpose. When children have time to make sense of what they have learned, they begin to recognize that the learning has a purpose. They also see themselves as having more control of the learning process- a critical step to being learners, even outside of school. One extra source for time is vacation.

In some ways, given the fact that school time is often tapped to the maximum, the ideal time for children to stop and think about their learning, to explore, to play with ideas and finally to “make meaning” for themselves is school vacation. The challenge for parents, who now become the teacher, is two-fold: 1) consider experiences that will encourage students to experience ideas and 2) encourage children to think for themselves about those ideas. Luckily, the Boston area is rich with experiences, some very inexpensive, that provide children with exposure to ideas.

For step one, the following links offer programs during the April vacation that Cunniff families might enjoy while also keeping young minds and bodies active:

Massachusetts Audubon Society- Spring Bird Walk (Cost: $3.00)

http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Boston/listing.php?program_code=783-BN11SP4

Boston Children’s Museum (Check the Public Library for Discount Coupons; Admission $15.00)

http://www.bostonkids.org/calendar/index.html#week4

Children’s Discovery Museum in Acton (Admissions: $10.50)

http://www.discoverymuseums.org/upcoming-events-calendar

Harvard Museum of Natural History

http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/kids_and_families.html.

Boston Arboretum

http://arboretum.harvard.edu/visit/family-activities/

The second step in helping children learn from their experiences is to talk with them about their thinking. Frequently, the questions adults ask set the stage for children. If we want children to make meaning for themselves, the first principle is to let the children know that there is no “wrong” answer. We want them to come up with their own explanations, not merely remember what they might have heard. We also want them to fit what they are thinking into a larger picture. On occasion, we might need to clarify misunderstandings, but it is the thinking process that is the focus. Before leaving home, ask your children what they already know about a topic and what they would like to find out. When you return home, a natural follow up includes questions such as, “Now what do you know? Was that important? Why do you think that was important? What do you think you will remember most about…? Why?”

Whether you plan an elaborate trip away, decide to explore opportunities closer to home, or simply enjoy a dinner together that is less hurried than usual, using the school vacation to support children’s learning is much easier than one might think- and far more fun for everyone. This vacation, have a wonderful, relaxed, learning “time” with your children.

MCAS Begin at the Cunniff

2011-03-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

How ironic that the welcome spring robins after such a difficult winter should also herald the first MCAS testing here in Massachusetts! Tuesday, March 22, marks our first assessment, the Grade 4 "long comp" assessment of writing. While some children may worry, teachers are attempting to reassure them all. All the work so far means that the time has come for the children to impress the evaluators with their skill and thoughtfulness. Rest, a hearty breakfast and a positive attitude is all they will need. Tuesday 3/22 is Grade 4 Writing, followed by Grade 3 on Wednesday, 3/23 and Thursday, 3/24. The following week begins with Grade 5 on Monday 3/28 and Tuesday 3/29, and more Grade 4 on Wednesday 3/30 and Thursday 3/31. Each of these assessments focus on English Language Arts. Later in the year, we will also be assessing the children in Mathematics, and for Grade 5 only, in Science.

This year, the Cunniff has focused particular attention on the clarity and precision of children's written expression. And while preparing for the MCAS does not drive our program, we have taken our MCAS practicing seriously in the past several weeks. We are now in the last stages of training- one last run up Heartbreak Hill before the Marathon that is MCAS. Happily, teachers working on their last MCAS practice today are very enthusiastic about the descriptive language and rich details they are noticing in the children's work. Whether or not the scores show dramatic progress, our teachers recognize the gains the children are making. Now is no longer the time to train, but to assess for ourselves, teachers, parents and students alike, where we are and what our next step might be in developing strong, clear written communicators. Perhaps, as with marathon, now is also the time to do a little mental "carbo loading" before the big race.

Educators and non-professionals alike readily debate the "self-esteem" issue. Do we do our children a disservice by ensuring that every child wins something in every contest? Or is it better to let children learn how to handle defeat and therefore push themselves to achieve more? In the midst of this thinking is what we know about children's beliefs about themselves and their willingness to persevere in the face of a difficult task. Many researchers, such as Carol Dweck, who studies the relationship between motivation and learning, or Donald Meichenbaum and Andrew Biemiller, educators who write about the beliefs of high performers versus those of under-achievers, all agree that children who believe that it is within their power to reach their goals are much more apt to do just that. As we prepare our students in these last few moments before they sit for the MCAS, we would do well to remember the lessons from research: tell the children we believe in them all; point out to them the many ways they already show us that they are succeeding; and remind them that all their practice means that they have tremendous potential for scoring well on any assessment. We all need to stoke their mental fires with that last little bit of well deserved praise for the hard work behind them so that they will have the mental energy for the tasks to come.

While the debate about high stakes testing and the need to hold a high bar that may continue, now is the time for one last burst of confidence. And, of course, a good night's sleep.

"Specials" Develop the Whole Child

2011-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Late last month, the Cunniff School hosted its second annual "Specialists Night," all to the rave reviews of the Cunniff families. Centered around the art work of Mexican Muralist, Diego Rivera, the event had both an international and an interdisciplinary flavor. In addition to being a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of snacks, dancing and appreciation of the children's art work, the event offered parents a chance to meet our specialist teachers in person and to hear a bit about the learning goals, instructional practices, and fantastic results of the gifted teachers in our art, music, technology and Physical Education departments. The good news is that the children eagerly led their parents to the different stations, where student work was exhibited. Additionally, family members, from pre-schoolers to grandparents, were active participants in Latin dancing demos in the gym; not to mention the Mexican food provided by a number of our families that offered a venue for enjoying one another's company after such a long, snowy winter. The difficulty with the format that night, however, was that parents may not have been fully aware of the more serious learning goals that underpinned the children's work. There is always much more behind the scenes of good education than can be seen, initially. And, it is only when we explore those learning objectives in greater depth that we realize the true power of experiences such as "Specialist Night." With that in mind, it is with great pride that we expand here on the teachers' presentations.

The initial catalyst to our evening planning was the availability of mural-sized posters of Rivera's work and the generous funding from our PTO that made renting these valuable resources possible. In art class, using the works as sources of inspiration, the children in grades PreK-5 made their own versions of Mexican bark paintings, cut-tin designs and "papel picado," the cut paper decorations that frequently appear at Mexican celebrations. In the process of creating these pieces, discussions of color choice, design, and composition, as well as the general feeling produced by a work of art were prevalent in all our classes. As a final capstone to the project, the children spent time grouped around the mural display in the hall, copying selected sections of Rivera's works much as art students do in a real museum. Results of this work was on display around the school for our evening presentation, where children proudly shared them with their families.

In our music classes, the theme of Mexican folk songs was used to reinforce children's understanding of rhythm, beat, and harmony. In addition, at "Specialists Night,"our music teacher displayed representative digital samples of projects from Grades 4 and 5 that the children had generated using Garage Band. Teams of students planned original rap songs that reinforced the school's recently adopted motto: Respectful, Responsible, Ready and Safe. The students drafted rap poems and reviewed myriad instrumental clips available in Garage Band to determine blends they thought would sound appealing and would reflect the message of their poems. This activity also provided the music teacher with an opportunity to lead the children in a discussion of musical style, reading and music notation, and current trends in music.

Physical Education classes also capitalized on the Mexican theme of the evening. Prior to the presentation, P.E. classes spent time learning traditional dances popular in Latin America. In the process, students worked on the often ignored gross-motor skills of spinning with a partner, cross-body pivots and keeping time to music using both sides of the body. That night, the unstructured nature of the event resulted in the children and parents from one of our Mexican families leading impromptu sessions for the entire school community in the more subtle nuances of merengue dancing.

Our final specialist area to present that night was our technology classes, for which the students had planned and filmed biographies of Diego Rivera. As always during their work with technology, students were encouraged to think about the best use of the medium, to plan their work considering both their message and the audience, and to practice many interpersonal skills vital to venues from classroom discussion to formal oral presentations. The results of our entire evening were also captured digitally and loaded on the web for sharing with those who could not join us. Please visit the display at the following URL: http://esees.edu.glogster.com/false/.

In this era of difficult budgets and time crunches in our schools, the disciplines, such as art, music, Physical Education and technology, not included in standardized tests are often the first to go. However, it is vital to remember that these are the disciplines that also provide students with a chance to apply their skills in a more holistic way; these are the disciplines that ask for performance that reflects real life application; and these are the disciplines that encourage exploration, creativity, synthesis of knowledge for many areas and the love of learning that supports life-long study. Our next step as educators is to add the evaluation of student performance that will validate the importance of the learning in these instructional areas, and to remind adults and children alike of the ways in which the Fine and Performing Arts enrich all our lives.

Building the Cunniff Community

2011-01-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

As we pause this month to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, we are reminded of the importance of community. Dr. King frequently spoke about our collective need for a united, thoughtful, and committed community if we are to build the just society he envisioned for us. Similarly, in education, we know that being part of a strong, welcoming community helps children learn and grow. At the Cunniff, we are particularly lucky to have a community that is diverse both culturally and linguistically. We are also fortunate in the opportunity we have as a neighborhood school to build strong home-school ties for our children. Our task, then, is to design lessons that will make the best use of these strengths to help our children be the citizens we want them to be.

To this end, this month, we will be beginning the "homeside" component of our new, school-wide social curriculum, "Caring School Community". Designed to parallel the work we do with the children in school, the Homeside Activities provide a structure for families to share meaningful conversations with children. By asking children and adults to take the time to tell the stories of each family, we send several messages: families are important in making us who we are, each family is a uniquely valuable part of a larger community, and bringing family stories to school enriches our school. We also let children know that we value who they are and where they come from. Listening to and re-telling stories aloud, sometimes in other languages, help children develop the thinking skills they will need for their academic work, such as listening, sequencing, remembering details, and telling a compelling, interesting story to an audience. Finally, sharing theses stories with their classes means that the children can become the teachers, spreading the learning in even more, valuable, and sometimes unexpected directions.

Here are the "Homeside Activities" in a nutshell:
*Assignments are sent home once or twice a month.

*Children are asked to sit with an adult and share stories related to a given topic.

*No assignment should take more than 15 or 20 minutes.

*Family members are encouraged to share the stories in their native language. (We all express ourselves best in our native language.)

*There are no "Right Answers."

*Children then share the answers with their classes. They use these stories to reflect on both similarities and differences in our school community, to problem-solve effective ways of working with one another, and to appreciate different perspectives.

Research tells us that a strong home-school connection helps children feel a greater sense of belonging, and as a result, learn better. It is our hope that the Cunniff families will embrace the activities in this new program. We, here at school, look forward to the promise this initiative offers to strengthen an already rich community.

Collective Intelligence- Group IQ

2011-01-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

In preparing our children to live and work in this new era, we need to remember that teaching them the skills of collaboration- negotiation, compassion, active listening, compromise and collective creativity- will be essential to their success. And, while asking children to work cooperatively with one another in small groups has been a central component of teacher practice for many decades, deliberate instruction in the skills of collaboration has not. Now, it seems, investigators studying successful adult interactions have discovered that groups can actually demonstrate a kind of collective "intelligence" based on the ability of the group members to work well together.

In a recent article in the Globe (December 19, 2010 "Group IQ"), reporter Carlyn Y. Johnson sited research from MIT and Carnegie Mellon that indicates that "group intelligence is not strongly tied to either the average intelligence of the members or of the team's smartest member." Nor were the group's "motivation, satisfaction or unity" important in predicting team success. The trick seemed, rather, to be in the make up of the team and its ability to "grapple with a complex task" effectively. The research further suggested that there were three criteria, in particular, that tracked with group effectiveness: leadership that encouraged active participation by all group members, with people taking turns speaking; the ability of the group members to "read" others feelings; and evidence of stronger "social sensitivity" on the part of more members in the group. In schools, it may be more a question of using this new insight and tweaking, rather than changing practice that will help us prepare our children to contribute to winning teams.

This year, all three Watertown elementary schools have adopted the "Caring School Communities" program as part of our effort to strengthen our school environments for children. Key to this curriculum is the expectation that children will learn to listen to and value the thoughts of other people. Identifying issues, brainstorming and evaluating proposed solutions to problems, and encouraging children to recognize the contributions of their peers to the success of the group also feature in the explicit goals of regular group meetings. This spring, the schools will be piloting a home-based component of the program, in which parents and guardians will be asked to take a role in similar conversations with our children. More details regarding this new kind of "homework" will be included in future newsletters.

As Johnson's article points out, "much of human history has been shaped not by one person at a time but by networks of people, whether they were bands of hunter-gatherers or corporations...[Moreover] new knowledge is increasingly being produced by teams." It is up to us all to ensure that our children will be active, thoughtful participants on those very important teams.

2010-12-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here at the Cunniff, teachers continue to look for ways to prepare our children with both the traditional skills and the 21st Century habits of mind they will need to be successful adults. This month, one of the foci for our teachers will be to consider the way we infuse “higher order thinking” skills in all aspects of our curriculum. To support this effort, we are discussing the kinds of questions we ask children that will push their thinking to a new level. To help us in this task, we have shared a questioning guide containing question patterns. These patterns, in addition to helping teachers think about how they talk to children, can be easily adopted for use at home.

Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, a well-known text for teachers, the guide breaks questions down into 6 general types in order of the complexity of thought they require: questions that check memory (knowledge questions); questions that check comprehension, questions that ask children to apply knowledge to new situations; questions that look for the ability to analyze important components of a situation; questions that require children to recall information from more than one source and to synthesize that information into a new thought; and questions that ask children to recall facts and to evaluate a situation based on those facts. Even at home, deliberately choosing questions can help children deepen their thinking. For example, while reading a story with your child or watching a favorite television program together, consider asking the following kinds of questions:

Knowledge: What happened in the story? Who were the main characters? Can you tell me three things that you thought were interesting in the story?
Comprehension: What was the main problem in the story? Which facts tell you what the character meant when he/she…?
Application: If you were the main character, what would you do? What would happen if the story had ended differently?
Analysis: Why did the author include that particular character (make the story happen where it did, etc.)? What details in the story made you feel the way you did about the main character?
Synthesis: If you were the author, how would you make this story better? What do you think might happen next in the story? Tell me why you think that?
Evaluation: What do you think of the story and why? Would you recommend this story to a friend? And why? Did you agree or disagree with the way the character handled things? Tell me why.

Not only do these questions relate well to many situations, they are appropriate for children at all grade levels. By asking the right questions, we teach them to be thoughtful, active learners. By listening carefully to their answers, we teach them that they each have something important to share with the world.