Monday Mustang Memo: January 2020

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Motivational Interviewing

Excellence in Education: Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing originated in the therapeutic and counseling fields and has practical applications for teachers and students.

Last week I wrote about my own struggles as a student, often failing to take ownership for my own learning. Motivational interviewing helps students navigate their own challenges in a non-confrontational manner.

Here's how it works:

Motivational interviewing can be accomplished with a two question approach developed by Mike Pantalon of Yale.

Here's an example Panatlon's simplified approach that can be used when a student is choosing not to do something.

Teacher: Reed, on a scale of 1-10, how ready are you to do this assignment?

Reed: Mmm, I don't know. 2 maybe?

Teacher: So you're at 2 right now. Why didn't you choose a lower number?

Reed (who was probably caught by surprise and was expecting confrontation): Well, I know I need to do this because if I don't, I'll struggle with the next assignment too and I know I need to work to pull my grade up so I can pass this class.

By using the motivational interviewing technique, the teacher avoided confrontation by not challenging the student and placing Reed in a defensive posture where he may have become increasingly defiant. Instead, Reed has had to examine and explore his own motivations. Now Reed is more likely to be engaged and self-motivated to complete the assignment.

For more information, see Daniel Pink's To Sell is Human and check back next week when I'll explore Motivational Interviewing in a different manner.

Tasks, Important Information, Upcoming Events

Fire drill: Tuesday, period tbd

Vaccination Clinics: January 27, 3-5:3o at Cale, February 4, 11-1 at COB, February 7, 11-1 at COB

Friday: B-day with clubs

February 7: extended 1st block for ACPS Climate Survey

February 14: B day, Lovefest, Speak Up Survey to be completed

Intent to return. Intent 2020. Please complete by 2/21/20.

Madison House Tutoring Referral Deadline is January 31

Field Trips

February 4: Leadership/Winterfest with our feeder elementary schools

Birthdays
January 29: Connie Jenkins
January 31: Laura Glassow
February 2: Josh Mound, Anne Dawson

Useful Information

Bell Schedules http://bit.ly/MustangBells

Seeking volunteers? ACPS is attempting to expand volunteer outreach and help teachers find volunteers. Here’s a form that takes a minute to complete.

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request

Athletic team schedules, rosters, etc.

Teacher Manual

Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website, in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin, schoolwide Schoology accounts, or the student newsletter (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33

Worth Your Time

ACPS to move two academies to Center 2

Sorry, there's no easy toolkit for social-emotional learning, but it's worth the work

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Helping Students Learn About Their Own Motivations

Excellence in Education: Helping Students Learn About Their Own Motivations

I was a borderline student--at best--in middle school. My grades ranged from D's to A's with the A's coming in electives and social studies classes. I struggled emotionally and behaviorally. My mother's attempts to help me fell flat, and may have actually worsened my self-esteem (I hope she's not reading this).

I don't remember many of middle school teachers trying to help me. When they did talk to me it was about my actions and usually it was negatively framed. What are you doing? Are you working to your fullest? Is this your BEST effort?

After a tumultuous middle school experience, my parents sent me to boarding school. While my grades improved dramatically during my freshman year, I attribute that to easy classes, a structured environment, and no social life. It wasn't until my sophomore year, that I had a teacher who made me feel like I WAS IMPORTANT. Mr. Beck, who was both my dorm parent and social studies teacher, asked questions that made me feel valued. What do you want to be? What and who inspires you?

I knew I had someone on my side, but also someone who was going to hold me accountable. When I complained to him about a teacher's grade, I remember him challenging me, Are you being the person you want to be? You talk about being admired for working hard, but are you working to your fullest?

Although I hesitated, because I respected him and trusted him, I told him the truth. He continuously held me accountable for my actions. Do you really want to be successful or do you just want it when it's easy? Today, we'd refer to Mr. Beck as a warm demander.

Like many students, I allowed my relationships with teachers to impact my effort and grades. I acted like the student and person I wanted to be for the teachers I liked, and I allowed myself to put forth a lesser effort in my other classes where I wasn't the person I wanted to be. Like most teenagers, my success was at least partially driven by my sense of belonging and trust.

I was fortunate that my parents had the wherewithal to send me to boarding school, but more integral to my success was how Mr. Beck helped me learn about myself, my motivations, and my locus of control. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I continued down my middle school path. Would I have been identified as an academic failure? Would I have been pushed towards a non-college tract? Would I have been in a perpetual cycle of failure? I became an educator because I believe every student deserves a teacher who believes in them and the opportunity that affords.

8 Ways to Help Students Learn About Their Own Motivations

Give students power and control within your class and over their success. Don't strive for compliance.
Strive to create a sense of community and belonging in your class through cooperative and self-directed learning.
Include behavioral learning objectives and skills as part of your learning targets.
Have students reflect and evaluate their progress in both academic and non-academic matters.
Give students choices that enable them to demonstrate high learning expectations.
Provide students with structure in the classroom with purposeful breaks. This goes beyond, You have five minutes to go to the bathroom and check your phones. Instead, explore ways to use mindfulness, physical movement and peer interaction.
Remain positive and upbeat even when students are challenging you the most.
Like Mr. Beck did with me, help students focus on who they want to be, not who they are.

Tasks, Important Information, Upcoming Events

Tuesday, January 21: Teacher Work Day

Wednesday, January 22: Turn in EXAMS for students who haven't completed We will be sending communication out to these students and families with instructions to plan for a make-up exam next Wednesday January 22^nd and Thursday January 23^rd. Students with an excused absence to a midterm will be provided with the opportunity to complete their exam(s) during the school day in the forum under supervision. Students with an unexcused absence to a midterm will be provided with the opportunity to complete their exams during after school from 4-5:30pm.

In an effort to lessen the burden of retakes, a substitute will be monitoring all exams in the forum throughout the day; please consider allowing those with excused absences the opportunity to make up your exam during class time. Please bring up any exams and or directions, with the students name clearly written at the top, to Ms. Jackson in the main office by 4pm. Thank you for an outstanding 2^nd quarter.

Hope you have a great day, and wonderful weekend.

Thursday, January 23: Meet with CRT Teams

Friday, January 24: Class Meetings During Mustang Morning

Club Sponsors: If you would be so kind to check this to see if your club is accurately reflected on this spreadsheet. We've had many new club changes, so we want to make sure we have an accurate list and locations for next week. Please email Reed and Corey with any changes or update it yourself.

January 24: Schoology Survey , Grades Due, Special Education Progress Reports due https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_a03rfc85GiZ8i_Q_PsjlJxspkuaktWIoIKWWCjvEJ0/edit?usp=sharing

If you have not contacted a student with a D/F family (see below), please do so. Please also be sure to request D/F students for Mustang Morning.

Per interim period

Assign student to Mustang Morning.
Discuss action steps in PLCs.
Communicate with case managers, if applicable.
Student has a D: Contact family via email or phone call.
Student has an F: Contact family via phone call.

Marking period:

In addition to A-C, speak to any parent of a student with an F who you have not yet contacted.
Communicate with student’s school counselor

Intent to return. Intent 2020. Please complete by 2/21/20.

Field Trips

Birthdays

January 20: Jennifer Turner-Warren

Useful Information

Bell Schedules http://bit.ly/MustangBells

Seeking volunteers? ACPS is attempting to expand volunteer outreach and help teachers find volunteers. Here’s a form that takes a minute to complete.

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request

Athletic team schedules, rosters, etc.

Teacher Manual

Worth Your Time

Marin parents divided over end to A-F grading

Niche's Top Districts in Virginia

Relationships are important. How do we build them effectively with kids?

Sunday, January 5, 2020

My Favorite No

Excellence in Education: My Favorite No

My Favorite No is an instructional strategy that combines formative assessment and feedback. It can be used as a starter, during learning, or as an exit activity.

Each student gets an index card to work on a class-wide problem.
After a set amount of time, the cards are collected and quickly reviewed by the teacher (right/wrong)
The teacher then selects one of the wrong answers to become the "Favorite No."
Teacher writes/copies the student work without identifying the student's name. Teacher share
Teacher says something along the lines of "This is my favorite no. What has the person done right? Where did mistakes occur? Be ready to explain and justify.
Talk about what is right as a class. This can be a powerful discussion tool. Alternatively, students can do this in groups.
After examining what is right, dissect what the student got wrong.
End with a positive affirmation statement like "We can definitely see why this problem tripped some of us up. Together we were able to do some great work to help our classmate."

Why?

Even those with wrong answers, include correct information. Even the little focus on the "what's right" builds student confidence.
It creates dialogue and meaning as well as providing feedback.
It can build a growth mindset in students by enforcing "not yet," and that mistakes are nothing more than a learning opportunity and by working on the incorrect answer in groups or as a class, it shows students that we're all in this together.
By talking through the problem, learning becomes visible.

Tweaks

While My Favorite No was created for use in a math class, it lends itself to any closed-answer type of question with multiple parts to the answer. What are five reasons...What is the difference between...Why did...

The instructional strategy was shared on Teaching Channel https://learn.teachingchannel.com/video/class-warm-up-routine

What are some instructional strategies you use to provide timely feedback to students and instill a growth mindset in our students?

Tasks, Important Information, Upcoming Events

Friday, January 10: A-day, club period

Week of January 13: SAT School Day Registration (see Ms. Gaskins)

Friday, January 17: 1/2 Day, End of Marking Period

Monday, January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday

Tuesday, January 21: Teacher Work Day

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