Monday Mustang Memo

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Assisting ADHD Adolescents on Assignments and Assessments

Excellence in Education: Assisting ADHD Adolescents on Assignments and Assessments

This is the 3rd part of an ADHD Series: Other Strategies to Support Students with ADHD. For the first part on helping ADHD students socially, click here and for the second part on ensuring their academic success click here.

Helping ADHD Students on Assignments and Assessments:

Check with the student to ensure they understand the directions. Directions should be clear and concise.
More so than other students, students with ADHD benefit from instant feedback. The use of assignments or assessments online with instant feedback is extremely beneficial.
Avoid clutter on handouts, webpages, and assessments. Additionally, ADHD students will often fret more than their peers if given a long test or a page with many questions on it. This also pertains to sections where students need to respond, so please provide ample space for student answers. Don’t tell anyone but Pearson’s SOL TestNav gets this one right with 50-70 questions on the SOL and only seeing one question at a time.
Avoid having students transfer work/answers from one place to another place.
Teach and encourage active test taking strategies like highlighting key words, crossing out false answers, etc.
As mentioned earlier, ADHD students will often take longer to complete their work; if a student with ADHD notices classmates turning in their work, he/she will likely feel pressured to rush through the assignment or assessment. Require students to stay in their seats when finished and begin working on the next task. Don’t allow them free time.
Obviously, many students with ADHD have 504s or IEPs allowing for alternative settings, but many ADHD students do not have these accommodations. Allow any student to make use of alternative settings for work.
In small or individual setting, the ADHD student may feel more comfortable whispering directions or quietly reading the material to him/herself. This helps him/her focus and many students benefit from hearing the information as well.
Remove distractions from the work environment.

Classroom Management Strategies

Use wait time 1 and wait time 2 when asking and answering questions. This extra time prevents impulsive answers and also provides time to think.
Use random calling on student techniques (cold call, popsicle sticks, random name generators, dice, etc.) to force students to focus.

Students with ADHD often struggle with work completion. Their disability may cause disorganization, distraction, poor focusing, and working memory deficits. As such, it may take them significantly longer to complete an assignment and once completed, the assignment may well get lost. Additionally, sustaining attention on one task for an extended period of time, most likely will be very difficult for student

Useful Links:

Positive Referrals: https://goo.gl/forms/HZtZoQqHoa2SWT0H3

Friday Activity Calendar (Mentorship/Portfolio/Club Day) :

Portfolio Assistance If you have a student who needs assistance setting up his/her portfolio, click here

Technology / Website Permission Request Form http://go.shr.lc/1HovEA6 Please use this form to request use of a website that requires student log-in if the site is not already on the approved list. DART approved list

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm Please be sure to have announcements cued and ready to go at 8:55 every morning.

Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement

Teacher Handbook

Calendar and Memo Items

Year-end calendar is here.

March 13: VPT testing

March 14: Communication Matters: Speaking with Students in School with Bob Garrity. Join us for this workshop which will include

Learning about Carol Dweck’s Mindset Research
Exploring and learning about ways to clearly speak with students about their behavior
Practicing I-statements for successes and concerns

Workshops will be offered on March 14th throughout the day from at 9:15-10:00, 11:15-12:00, 1:15-2:00 and 2:45-3:30. You’re encouraged to sign-up in advance.

March 16: Faculty Meeting and District Chorus Trip

March 17: Band’s Jazz and Casino Night

March 21 & 22: All 10th graders will take Writing SOL tests No Mustang Morning

March 28: Middle School/Rising 9th Grader Visit; No Mustang Morning

March 30: End 3rd Quarter

April 21: Spring Pep Rally

Project-Based Learning: The What, Why, and How! -April 3

Virginia Association for the Gifted is excited to offer an introduction to Project-Based Learning: The What, Why, and How at the Lynchburg City Schools' Information Technology Center. Participants will explore delivery models by engaging in the creative process of developing their own project step by step with collaborative support from instructors and peers. All participants will receive resources for building future units along with a collection of previously developed ideas. Deadline for registration is March 29 and the event is April 3.

Birthdays

March 16: Dean Eliason

Worth Your Time

4 Ways Teachers Can Support Students of Color

Pros and Cons to 1:1 Tech

5 Coping Mechanisms for Bouncing Back from Your Bad Teaching Day I’m curious, what would you add?

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Ensuring Academic Success of ADHD Students

Excellence in Education: Ensuring the Academic Success of ADHD Students

This is the 2nd part of an ADHD Series: Examining instructional strategies to ensure the success of students with ADHD. For the first part, click here.

Classroom strategies that benefit ADHD students (truly all students):

Write classroom schedules and directions on the board in the same place each day.
Use and display a timer for students to complete an assignment. Alternatively, if you say, “This should be done by 3:05,” it’s important to write that deadline on the board next to the direction.
Use alerting cues and stand in the same place when giving directions (verbally and visually).
ADHD students may struggle with transitions from one class activity to another (remember that they also may be slower to complete the first activity and that alone can be frustrating). Provide the student with an individual heads-up, “In a minute, we’re going to be starting the next part, so why don’t you…”
If the student is off-task, remember that behavior that is ignored tends to decrease or go away. If ignoring the behavior isn’t possible, say for example, the student is distracting others or displaying antisocial behaviors, redirect the student with a specific demand. “John, I need you to answer the next 3 questions in the next five minutes.” Then, in 5 minutes, when John has completed the work, recognize John’s efforts.
Chunk assignments into smaller, more manageable parts while providing examples and specific, actionable steps. Make frequent checks and provide feedback (it may be helpful to prioritize the ADHD student when checking individual work during class).
Have the student set his/her own timelines and ask, “What do you need to meet your goal?” to support the student.
Allow extra time for tests and assignments. Equity over equality.
Allow students to compare notes or other work with a peer, so he/she can fill-in/complete missing parts.
Many students with ADHD need to be taught organizational skills. Provide them and teach them using a consistent process that works best for your class to maintain organization and frequently monitor this process and provide positive reinforcement.
Allow alternative methods to complete assignments, recognizing that ADHD students may struggle with sustaining attention, handwriting, working memory, etc.

Excellence in Education: Blind Kahoot!

We frequently use Kahoot! at the end of lessons, but check out this article and video on using Kahoot! to start lessons, spark curiosity and prime the brain for learning.

Useful Links:

Positive Referrals: https://goo.gl/forms/HZtZoQqHoa2SWT0H3

Friday Activity Calendar (Mentorship/Portfolio/Club Day) :

Portfolio Assistance If you have a student who needs assistance setting up his/her portfolio, click here

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm Please be sure to have announcements cued and ready to go at 8:55 every morning.

Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement

Teacher Handbook

Calendar and Memo Items

Year-end calendar is here.

A-B-A-B-B

March 6-10: Writing SOL for Re-testers and Transfers

March 9: Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 21 & 22: All 10th graders will take Writing SOL tests No Mustang Morning

March 28: Middle School/Rising 9th Grader Visit; No Mustang Morning

March 30: End 3rd Quarter

April 21: Spring Pep Rally

March 14: Communication Matters: Speaking with Students in School with Bob Garrity. Join us for this workshop which will include

Learning about Carol Dweck’s Mindset Research
Exploring and learning about ways to clearly speak with students about their behavior
Practicing I-statements for successes and concerns

Workshops will be offered on March 14th throughout the day from at 9:15-10:00, 11:15-12:00, 1:15-2:00 and 2:45-3:30. Please sign-up in advance.

Project-Based Learning: The What, Why, and How! -April 3

Birthdays

March 7: Sarah Stallings

March 9: Erica Terrell

March 12: Jennifer Meade

Shout Outs

Great work by Kate Modica and Louise Weaver for organizing the Help Save the Next Girl symposium.

Kudos to Janet Whitmore and Rob Garland for their work last weekend with the Wintersongs Concert and the photo show at the Paramount, respectively.

Worth Your Time

12 Structures to Keep Kids Focused When Using the Internet in Class

Virginia Legislators Send Bill to Governor for More Charter Schools in Struggling Districts

Want More Jobs? Give High School Students More Exposure to Training for a Variety of Career

Sexual Consent Education May Be Added to Virginia High Schools

Monday, March 6, 2017

The Carrot and the Stick Don't Work

Excellence in Education: Student Motivation: The Carrot and the Stick Don’t Work

As I stood on duty Friday morning, a student passed me with two cups, one filled with Goldfish crackers and another with soda. Moments later, another student walked up the stairs with his own Goldfish, soda and some candy. After asking him about it, he said, “Mr. McClung gave it to us since we were good for the sub...I’m gonna be fat.”

Later in the day, I asked Mr. McClung if the rewards was random and when he told me it was, I knew I had my my topic for this week’s memo. Mr. McClung’s use of a random reward struck a chord with me as a fan of Edward Deci’s and Daniel Pink’s research on motivation.

While rewards for mundane tasks can make sense. For example, when the task is simple, such as producing x-number of thingamajigs in one hour rewards may increase production. For most situations, however, rewards may actually be damaging to motivation and creativity. Furthermore, if-then rewards intended to motivate for good behavior, such as “behave for the sub and I’ll give you candy,” also don’t work.

Taking it a step further, rewards narrow focus and diminish creativity. For higher-order thinking tasks that require problem-solving and creativity, however, rewards narrow people’s focus. Unless, that is, if the reward is unexpected and random. Expected rewards have the most potential damage. Unexpected rewards can have a positive impact while minimizing the potential risks. “If-then rewards usually do more harm than good. By neglecting the ingredients of genuine motivation--autonomy, mastery, and purpose--they limit what each of us can achieve.” (Pink)

Summing it up

Autonomy: Students benefit from meaningful feedback, choice and encouragement. We should strive to provide them with opportunities to control the various aspects of their learning.
Mastery: Students need to experience and see their own progress. Tasks that are too easy or too difficult will cause students to shutdown. Learning tasks should be of appropriate challenge AND we must provide them with the opportunity to improve by challenging and supporting them.
Purpose: Students have to care about the outcome. If students see the value and relevancy to what they are doing, they will be motivated.
Once in place, rewards are hard to take away. If extra credit, is offered after the first five tests, students will come to expect it on the sixth test.
Rewards work best on the tedious tasks.
Unexpected rewards can have a positive influence.
Extrinsic rewards and incentives (the carrots) can have a NEGATIVE impact on learning and motivation
Rewards can make students feel as if they are being controlled. Think about this as it pertains to grading.

Useful Links:

Positive Referrals: https://goo.gl/forms/HZtZoQqHoa2SWT0H3

Friday Activity Calendar (Mentorship/Portfolio/Club Day) : Portfolios

Portfolio Assistance If you have a student who needs assistance setting up his/her portfolio, click here

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm Please be sure to have announcements cued and ready to go at 8:55 every morning.

Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement

Teacher Handbook

Calendar and Memo Items

A-B-A-B-A

Friday is a club day with club pictures. Lovefest on the 14th.

AP Registration concludes this week.

Please remember that the copy room and mailroom are off limits to students at all times.

February 20 and March 31 are NORMAL school days now.

Help Save The Next Girl: 9th and 10th grades, Feb 28; 11th and 12th grades, March 1 Here’s the schedule;

Birthdays

February 14: Barry Keith

February 17: Sarah Orme

Worth Your Time

Daniel Pink Resources

TED talk

Animation

Amazon Page

Signs Promoting Diversity at Virginia High School are Taken Down

Changes to the Common App Essay

Helping Struggling Students Develop a Growth Mindset

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Ensuring the Social Success of ADHD Students

Excellence in Education: Ensuring the Social Success of ADHD Students

For us to help each student succeed, each of us needs to use accommodations for students with ADHD. While 11% of students are diagnosed with ADHD, each student possesses different strengths and weaknesses; so there’s no such thing as a typical ADHD student. This week’s blog will focus on social skills.

Students with ADHD experience difficulty making and sustaining friendships. Their impulsivity or hyperness may turn-off peers. They may have trouble picking up on social cues, and they may have trouble controlling emotions. Now imagine yourself as a sophomore with ADHD who has had trouble developing social skills. Learning, whether academic or “real-life” is a social activity, and for most students, friends are the primary reason to come to school. Again, take a second to put yourself in this student’s shoes.

So what can we, as educators, do to ensure the success of ADHD students both academically and socially?

Use cooperative learning activities with clearly assigned roles for each student. Flexible and purposeful grouping of students is essential as placing students with ADHD with other students who struggle socially or executive functioning struggles will not yield success.
Strategically partner students for activities like Think-Pair-Share, Shared Verbal Fluency, Rally Robin, Timed Pair Share, etc.
When possible, have ADHD students share or teach peers when they are successful.
Provide structure and supervision. ADHD students benefit from pre-conferencing (explain expectations and provide positive feedback at the beginning of class/prior to an activity).
Because ADHD students may ramble or say inappropriate things, they benefit from structured conversations or the ability to practice what they are going to say before speaking to the entire class.
Focus on the big things. ADHD students often struggle to remain on-task and well-behaved for 85 minutes. They know the rules but have trouble executing and internalizing.
Create processes to slow ADHD students down. This may be writing or verbalizing a plan of action for an assignment or creating a to-do list for a larger assignment. Use of wait time in questioning is an important strategy as well.
Allow ADHD students time to practice social skills.
Create a signal/cue to help ADHD students improve their social skills.