Last August, we showed you how the flipped classroom model was helping one teacher increase student participation. But for sixth-grade math teacher Andrew Bailey at the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, turning the lecture portion of his class into a homework assignment gives him more time to meet students where they are in the learning process.
“I became interested in using the flipped classroom model for two very specific reasons,” explained Bailey, “time management and differentiation. I have a number of students who really struggle to grasp the material, and I would like to dedicate as much time as possible to giving them the help that they need.”
Bailey added that students who are quick to learn new concepts can be given extension activities, become peer tutors, or even create their own videos in order to help their classmates.
“This also lessens the daily battle of teaching a new concept while making sure that everyone is quiet, listening, and attentive the entire time,” he said. “Using the videos, students don’t have to try to keep up with me, because they can pause, rewind, and even move forward as they see fit. The biggest effects I’ve seen on student achievement have been on those students who were typically the lowest performers. They feel more confident that they can complete their work, and tell me privately that they think they did well on their tests. I have seen some of my students jump from teacher assessment scores in the teens to scores just below passing.”
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Renee Ruiz
This week’s Shout Out goes to Renée Ruiz, an English Language Arts teacher at Burbank Middle School.
Ruiz earned praise from Assistant Principal Ruben I. Piñeda for leading her students to a second-place finish in the middle-school division of the Stock Market Game for the Houston region. The competition is sponsored by the Texas Council on Economic Education, and Ruiz’s class increased the value of their virtual $100,000 investment by almost $1,000 in just 10 weeks.
“Although the Stock Market Game involved virtual investments, students experienced real world learning by implementing skills essential to succeeding in school and life,” said Piñeda. “Students improved their math skills and many of them gained an elaborate understanding of personal finance and economics as they learned how to invest and how to grow their stock.”
A team of students from Pershing Middle School placed first in the same contest.
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to decide on your schedule for the next nine weeks.
The “4-10” summer schedule—in which HISD employees at administrative offices and participating campuses work 40 hours during a four-day period instead of five—will be returning to the district starting Monday, June 2.
Participating employees must submit a notice to their supervisors indicating the hours they will work during the summer schedule, and adhere to that schedule (if approved) for the entire nine-week period. The district’s operating hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. give employees some flexibility in scheduling their 10-hour work days between Monday and Thursday, as does the option of selecting either a 30-minute or a 60-minute lunch break each day.
For complete details, please see this related Academic Services memo. The summer schedule will conclude the week of Friday, Aug. 1, and regular operating hours will resume districtwide on Monday, Aug. 4, 2014.
HISD’s Office of Onboarding and Organizational Development is bringing back three of employees’ favorite professional development sessions, just in time for the summer break.
The topics of these sessions were selected by participants from the previous year, who answered a survey asking for the top three workshops they would like to see offered again.
One session has been scheduled for each of the coming three months. Below is the schedule:
- June 25: Preparing to Shine: Proactive Techniques for Self-Development
- July 9: Upward Management: All Around Success
- Aug. 26: No More Paper Cuts: Filing in the Digital Age
All sessions will take place between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).
For complete details, including eTRAIN course codes and descriptions, please see this related flyer (.pdf).
Registration must be completed via eTRAIN.
Berndine Hicks
Over the 39 years Berndine Hicks has been teaching in HISD schools, she has probably touched the lives of thousands of students. But that era will be coming to an end on May 30, when the lifelong music teacher finally steps down from position in the classroom.
“My family has been on me [to retire] for the past two years,” explained Hicks. “I’m an active person, and involved in many things, but they want me to share some time with myself and my family.”
Hicks has spent the last 37 years teaching music at River Oaks Elementary School, where she is so beloved that a group of fourth-graders approached her with a petition recently, asking if she would change her mind and stay just one more year, so they could have her as fifth-graders.
“The kids and parents have been very expressive,” said Hicks. “But I’ve been looking forward to a little R&R, and I told them not to worry, because someone wonderful was going to come along behind me.”
Hicks began her teaching career in Victoria ISD, then split her time between Brock ES, Briargrove ES, and Grady MS (then an ES) when first she came to HISD in 1975. She has also served as the drill team sponsor at Washington High School.
“I have been blessed to work at campuses where everyone supports the music program,” said Hicks, who is one of about 200 teachers who are retiring this year. A few employees are actually marking the anniversary of their start dates this week (May 25–31). See if you recognize any of the names below.
30 years
- Dexter Tensley, tractor operator, Construction and Facility Services
20 years
- Morline Fruge, bus driver, Transportation Services
15 years
- Walter Simpson, crossing guard, Blackshear ES
5 years
- Donna Keller, clerk, Horn Academy
Today is the last day of school for teachers in HISD, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to think about professional development!
For those who haven’t already made plans for earning their continuing education credits this summer, a number of opportunities are still available.
INTERNAL
- Summer Science Institutes: Available for both elementary and secondary teachers, these are being offered by HISD in partnership with Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine (Deadline: June 5).
- Literacy X3: Classes start as early as June 2 for teachers of grades K through 3 who want to get a head start on learning strategies for the fall semester. Details can be found here (Deadlines: various).
EXTERNAL
- Learning Through Art: Visit the Museum of Fine Arts Houston website for details on full- and half-day workshops for elementary teachers, a middle-school institute, and a two-day mini-conference in late July.
- Summer Energy Workshops: Space is still available for secondary science teachers in three summer energy workshops (.pdf) being offered by the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). These provide insight into the industry with field trips to various production sites.
- Gifted & Talented: The HMNS will also be offering a lab and a workshop for teachers of Gifted & Talented students starting in June. The workshop will explore ways of differentiating instruction, while the lab will focus on strengthening various content areas based on 2013 STAAR results.
For more information on each of the offerings listed, please click the links included above.
Erin Krafft with one of her students
There’s an old maxim that says “almost” only counts when playing horseshoes or throwing hand grenades. And that’s the same principle math teacher Erin Krafft lives by when demanding the best from her sixth-grade students at Revere Middle School.
Revere is one of 16 HISD middle schools whose teachers are employing author and education expert Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion techniques in their classrooms, and one of Krafft’s favorites is called “100%.”
“Shortly after learning about the technique, I started reflecting on my own classroom practices,” explained Krafft. “And I realized that I often settle for less. I was sending a message to my students that it was all right for them not to complete a task, or at least, not to complete it to their best efforts.”
Krafft began raising her expectations and communicating them to her students, and after a few weeks, she noticed “a huge improvement” in the way her students behaved and learned.
“Even the simple task of asking students to put their hand in the air was difficult at the beginning” she added, “because I used to accept elbows bent, or hands not very high. And when I tried to get them to put their arm straight up proudly, it was like pulling teeth! After a few attempts and the occasional reminder (i.e. “Does your arm look like my arm?” or “Elbow to the ear”), 100% of the students are complying 100% correctly.”
Krafft noted that demanding compliance on something so trivial might seem unrelated to the overall purpose of education, “but teaching students to present their best selves all the time is a huge life lesson. Once I started holding students accountable, I saw a big difference in how they participated, worked and learned in my classroom.”
HISD has traditionally been closed on Memorial Day, but remember: this year, that day (May 26) is the second of two make-up days that will be used to replace instructional time lost due to wintry weather earlier this year. All HISD students, faculty, and support staff are expected to report to class or for duty (respectively).
This is the final make-up day for 2014. For details, please see this related article and list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- May 29: Last day of school (students)
- May 30-June 8: Graduation ceremonies (.pdf)
- June 1: Hurricane season begins
- June 2-Aug. 1: Summer schedule in effect
- June 4 (.pdf): Payday
- June 4–July 3: Summer Meals program
- June 12: Board meeting (regular)
- June 18 (.pdf): Payday
- June 19: Board meeting (budget)
- July 2: Payday
- July 3: Closed for Independence Day (holiday)
- July 10: Board meeting
- July 16: Payday
- August 25: First day of school (students)
- Sept. 1: Labor Day (holiday)
The HISD Health and Wellness Center located at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) will be closed on Saturday, May 24, and both locations (HMWESC and Attucks MS, 4330 Bellfort, 77051) will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.
