Lights, Kami, Action!

The Pike Panther Band is Hitting All the Right Notes with Technology

Like most teachers at the start of the pandemic, Jack Forbis and Jennifer Haden, the band directors at Gene Pike Middle School, found themselves wondering how they were going to engage students remotely and transition their skills-based content to an online environment.  When teaching over Zoom, according to Haden, they quickly ran into several unexpected hurdles including a lag time that wouldn’t allow the whole group to play together effectively, and unreliable sound where “kids would play and there was no sound coming back, so the only way to tell if they were playing right was by watching their faces and fingers.”  Desperate for better ways to engage their learners, Forbis and Haden scoured posts made by other band directors in online forums and on social media.  Eventually they came across a post touting the benefits of EdPuzzle, which allows teachers to add questions throughout videos to gauge student learning.  They decided to dive in, recording videos that covered everything from an introduction to the staff and how to read music, to videos fully differentiated for each instrument demonstrating finger positions for notes and what they should sound like when played.  They then uploaded these videos to EdPuzzle where they added questions to aid and reinforce student understanding. 

When the district transitioned back to in-person learning, Forbis and Haden decided to continue incorporating EdPuzzle videos in their curriculum, finding innumerable benefits including differentiated instruction, increased student accountability, and greater consistency in the way that content is delivered.  As Haden explains, “they’re getting the same content delivered the same way every time without us having to repeat it five times every period … and if a student misses class or there’s a substitute, those students are going to get the same level of instruction as everyone else.” 

Recording and uploading EdPuzzles has not only allowed the band directors to differentiate instruction by instrument group, it has also allowed them to accommodate the diverse needs of their learners.  Forbis points out that not every student has the same access to transportation for before and after school tutorials, and these EdPuzzles are “like an extra tutorial the kids can have at home.”  If students are struggling with a particular skill and need additional support, they can pause, rewind, and rewatch the EdPuzzle as many times as they need to since, Forbis says, “the first part of learning is often modeling and mimicking, and that’s what this allowed us to do.”  Before EdPuzzle, Forbis and Haden would go over the lesson in class and students would practice together, but at home they were practicing on their own.  This meant, explains Haden, that “even if they were diligently practicing, if they were diligently practicing wrong, it wasn’t helping them.”  The EdPuzzles give students something they can go back to and practice with over and over.  Eduardo, a 6th grade clarinet player, finds value in this because he can rewatch the video at home before he records an assignment “and then try to match the same as Miss Haden.”

This ability to watch and rewatch is a key component in what Forbis and Haden say is perhaps the biggest benefit of using EdPuzzle in band -- increased student accountability.  They can easily see whether or not a student has accessed a video, their current progress, and how long they interacted with the content.  It’s also helpful for parents who often want to provide support by reinforcing practice at home, but, points out Haden, if they’re not familiar with the content “it can just sound like their kid is making sound at the house.”  The EdPuzzles help parents see exactly what Forbis and Haden are asking their students to do.  This has been further underscored by the move to Canvas, where Forbis and Haden embed the EdPuzzles directly in the instructions for their Media Recording assignments where students record and upload videos of themselves playing.  With Observer access, parents can see the expectations set in the EdPuzzle and compare them with the video their student has submitted.  This provides a clear picture of how well their student is performing, in terms of grades as well as ability.

While the benefits of transitioning to guided practice through EdPuzzle have been myriad, Forbis and Haden are the first to admit it took a lot of time and effort to set up.  When asked what advice they’d have for teachers considering bringing in new tools, Forbis and Haden recommend adding things in a little at a time to give teacher and students time to adjust, and to keep in mind that while it may feel like a lot of work up front, it pays off when that content is ready to go the next year.  The band directors are embodying this philosophy themselves, growing their EdPuzzle libraries as needed while also exploring new ways to boost student engagement and learning.  This year they’ve incorporated Ningenius to transform learning notes and finger positions into a game, building a reward system where students compete to earn belts that earn them access to parties and other fun activities.  Kelcie, another 6th grade clarinetist, appreciates how her teachers make learning and reviewing information fun using exciting online tools, adding that “people really want to get those belts!”

To get started with EdPuzzle in your own classroom, go to edpuzzle.com!

Pro Tip: Sharing content with another teacher on your campus?  Bookmark their content page so you can find all of their videos easily!  

My Network → Select School → Select Teacher → Bookmark in your browser!

A “Different” Approach to “Leaving No Student Behind”

Educators are always looking for new ways to reach students and help them find methods or paths for acquiring success in the classroom. However, it seems that there are some students who, despite our best efforts (and their own), struggle with the institutional process of acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to meet traditional measures of success. After recently reading the words of Katie Usher, a Texas elementary school teacher, it became clear that well-known classroom differentiation practices, although very effective and successful for some, may not be enough for students who need a completely different learning environment in order to access the content needed for mastery. Although Katie’s experiences are based on a gifted classroom, her words are important for all students. She asserts that “In the digital era, we can provide all of our students with technological ways to enhance their learning, no matter their academic label. Every student is different and needs to be offered a variety of ways to show what they’ve learned in a way that reflects their individuality.” This is exactly the philosophy behind the ever growing "Eagle Strong" cycle recovery program offered at Eaton High School (EHS). 

Alicia Dunson, a Professional Communication teacher at Eaton, has spent a majority of her career working to find ways to reach students where they are and to help them progress and find methods for success that work for them. Alicia starts by learning about her students and building relationships with them that allow her to not only ask her students some tough questions about previous academic patterns but she is also able to use her positive relationships to push these students to develop levels of accountability and self-sufficiency that gives them ownership in their own learning moving forward. This philosophy of teaching made Alicia a perfect fit to help develop the "Eagle Strong" cycle recovery program at EHS and to begin working with students to access systems and methods more appropriate for their individual learning needs.

In this program, students are identified as needing intervention before completely failing a course and they are not only given an opportunity to access narrowed and unmastered course content through a self-paced online platform, but they also have the support of certified educators working on campus that can assist as needed. Mrs. Dunson facilitates student progress by helping them learn ways to record and track their own mastery of coursework that work for them and by connecting students with teachers and tutors before, during, and after school hours. Through use of these online tools and content, qualifying students can showcase existing knowledge that might previously have been a struggle for them to display and to do so in a timely fashion without getting behind in credits and while receiving both built-in and in-person remediation. The ability to digitally self-accelerate beyond concepts already mastered and to slow down to focus on more difficult areas of the curriculum make this educational experience unique and more effective for some than a traditional environment.

One student in Mrs. Dunson’s "Eagle Strong" program credits this experience with helping her to revisit and master content from multiple courses without the stress and pressure she typically experiences in a regular classroom environment. She feels that the ability to move through material at her own pace puts the responsibility on her and she says that “You have to learn. You cannot just zone out or not pay attention. It’s all on you.” Another student said that she has learned study skills that can help her in other courses and she feels the online coursework helps her because the courses “have a different way of teaching and gives students different ways to learn the material.” She likes the ability to watch and re-watch a lot of videos that show her examples and also enjoys the freedom to go through curriculum on her own.

While many students thrive in a traditional school environment, some need more than tradition can offer or they may have experienced circumstances that hinder their progress in all or parts of a particular course. In some situations, students simply need other ways to access content in order to master the skills and knowledge necessary to grow and thrive. EHS is providing a method for students to do just that through the development of their cycle recovery program and they are creating options for students to learn and excel that allow flexibility and choice while not compromising student time, interests, and most importantly, confidence. This program, in essence, is an example of differentiation at its best and as our fellow Texas educator, Katie Usher, put it, “Differentiating allows students to have their voice heard, which can lead them to become self-motivated learners. And that in turn can help increase both their learning growth and their self-awareness of that growth.” These achievements in differentiation are much needed components of our educational system that truly provide for a future where fewer students are “left behind.”

          Usher, Katie. “Differentiating by Offering Choices.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 10 Apr. 2019, www.edutopia.org/article/differentiating-offering-choices.

Raiders of the Lost STAAR

For many NISD teachers, Spring has been marked by the self-paced BINGO challenge. Cassie Brewton, a fifth grade teacher at Hughes elementary especially enjoyed the choice, self pacing, and excitement that came along with the challenge. Cassie soon began to think, “My students would enjoy a challenge like this, especially as they get ready for STAAR.” Using the format created by IT Coaches Jillian, Kelli, and Shelly, Cassie began creating tasks that would help students review for their upcoming STAAR test.

The tasks that Cassie created were an intentional hybrid of individual and group collaboration, digital and face to face work, and all levels of rigor. When walking into Cassie’s class during review, it was clear that each student was working at their own pace and that the tasks were differentiated for all of her learners.  It was also evident that the students were enjoying the challenge.

Ethan, Kellon, and Makena all agreed that the BINGO board was a fun way to prepare for STAAR. Not only was the challenge fun, but it pushed students to work through questions and problems that they may find difficult. Kellon points out, “My favorite part was the challenge in general.” Makena states, “B4 was really challenging. The picture was really hard to figure out. You have to figure out what’s happening and make observations and a claim. I skipped a few, but then made a note to go back.” Kellon added, “I don’t like skipping a challenge, so I kept trying until I figure it out.”

Each student was eager to share their favorite task on the board. For Makena, this was N3. “We made several STAAR questions and created a quiz on Google Forms for the class.” Ethan enjoyed I3 which prompted him to create a Tweet from a template in Google Classroom. The tweet would sum up the main idea and supporting details from the story "Library Lion." Ethan would have an authentic audience as the tweet was posted to the class Twitter Feed (AKA: Padlet Wall). What Ethan may not have realized, was that I3 provided scaffolding for him as he decided to complete G5 first. G5 helped students define main and supporting details to give them a better understanding of the concept.

Other tools integrated into the tasks include: Prism, Pear Deck, Epic, News ELA, and a variety of GSuite tools (Docs, Slides, Forms).

Differentiation was a key aspect of this challenge. Cassie points out, “I made changes to the board daily based on student responses. For example, After noticing kids struggling on I3, one student realized that another task on the board was a great scaffolding activity, so we created a few additions to the ‘task card’ to explain where they could go to practice the skill before completing that specific activity.”

While the Raiders of the Lost STAAR was a student centered and student paced challenge, it was the intentionality of Mrs. Brewton that made it a success. The articles that she choose for students to read were at the appropriate lexile level, the resources that students used to answer questions encompassed relevant information that they needed to know, and the independent reading time helped with literacy and comprehension.

Not only were students review key terms, concepts, and skills for STAAR, but they were also becoming problem solvers. Mrs. Brewton states, ”I think my favorite part about the Bingo board was seeing the students work so well with their self-management. They were great at managing their time, choosing tasks that fit their schedule, and taking time to stop and reflect on their work before coming to me for a code. They wanted to make sure it was their best before asking for a code because they knew the expectations were high, so the incentive to work hard was powerful!”

Twenty Five task challenges can be quite a bit to create, but the aspect of self-paced lessons and units, can be created on any scale using Hyperdocs. Check out this Basic Hyperdoc Lesson Plan Template (The HyperDoc Girls)